As my daughter prepares to graduate from high school tomorrow, I found my thoughts drifting to my own high school years, and realized to my amazement that I can recall in its entirety my high school “fight” song. So I found myself wondering…how many adults out there recall their school songs well enough that they could belt them out if required?
Here’s mine. Bear in mind that it was a Catholic school, situated on a grassy hillside under a basalt cliff on Spokane, Washington’s South Hill (hence the references to “rolling greens and lofty cliffs”):
We’ll sing hurrah, hurrah for Marycliff,
And our voices high we’ll lift.
Praises ever ringing, victories always bringing
To the school that stands for things we love so dearly.
Faith and love we pledge to thee,
Unity and harmony.
Ever aiming, Mary’s help obtaining,
To uphold the cause, the cause of Christ, our king and leader.
Rolling greens and loft cliffs we love;
Stately pines that tower to skies above.
To our hearts you breathe a spirit true,
That will live forever and remind us e’er to…
Bear up high the flag of youth,
Cherish loyalty and truth.
Ever showing that our love is growing for
M-A-R-Y-C-L-I-F-F! Rah, rah!
Cheesy, I know, but sentimental, especially as the school closed its doors the year after I graduated.
So, who else out there recalls (or cares to recall) his/her high school song?
Ah, we were Catholic girls! Mostly Irish Catholic girls! We knew how to fight! Or at least we had the kids at nearby Lewis and Clark convinced that we did!
We were a brand new high Catholic school at the time, just a few yards from a larger Lutheran school, we fought all the time. I never noticed anybody stopping mid-fight to sing any song. My wife and her sisters and my sisters could really swing a lunch box though, I think a lunch box drill team would have been great for football games.
Hail our Falcons, hats off to thee,
To our colors true we will ever be,
Blue and Gold united we stand,
Working ever, failing never,
Pulling for our team together,
Falcons, we think you’re grand!
I only know this because my sister used to sing it. I was far too cynical to have school spirit.
I moved in my 10th year. We’d already had a murdered quarterback with race riot & torched a cop car before I moved. Then the new school decided to haze me.
I never have a clue about these fight songs things. They’re always in some antiquated English composed by some poets using some lofty words that maybe used to rhyme at some point but didn’t during my generation. There is not a natural plot progression and the song is not a catchy tune at all. I also have no idea why people get all misty about their alma maters.
I have great difficulty memorizing things especially when I know that if I really need to know what they are, I can go look them up. I can not recite the preamble, I’ll get the national anthem out of order, can’t remember mathematical formulas, and I can only say some prayers if I get a good running start. I’ve decided that I’m not going to learn the new Mass other than learning what my cues wil be to start a song.
It came as a complete surprise to me that I could figure out a song on a wind instrument and actually memorize a song. I can’t do that for the first instruments that I learned to play. That’s been quite the nice surprise.
At my 50th high school reunion the class sang our fight song. Truthfully, I can’t say that it rang any bells with me. Mute, we’re gonna have to stick together and stumble through life, acting like we remember what others seem to know so well.
Inst, Inst, ancient and royal,
Inst Inst, great is thy name.
We thy sons true and loyal
sing of thy glory and fame
RBAI, sing of thy glory and fame.
more of the same…
(I can’t connect to this while at work, so I’m relying on google to have turned up something appropriate.)
We also had a moderately decorous inspiring song suitable for rugby matches. It was taught to us, in earnest fashion, by our Vice Principal, a man on whom “song” did not sit easily. Mercifully I have forgotten it, while remembering a lot of other rugby songs with less decorous lyrics.
I can remember the awful rugby song! To the tune of “there is a tavern in the town”.
A score, a score, Inst! a score, a score, a score!
We can not ever ask for more, ask for more
Than a score, a score, a score between the posts
A score, a score, Inst! a score, a score, a score!
Come on forwards don’t deceive us,
Heel the ball and never leave us
And remember that the best of teams combine, combine;
Scrum-half, scrum-half, pick the ball up from your feet
And pass it to the winger fleet, winger fleet
And he will run and score between the posts
A score, a score, Inst, a score…
Not even the purblind rugby aficionados could muster up any enthusiasm for this one.
Drat you, Red! That will run through my head all weekend, now. That was what you wanted, wasn’t it?
Mumble mumble hats off to thee
Soon our mumble mumble shall be
Mumble mumble mumble rise
Mumble and glory to the skies
Mumble mumble mumble [again]
Mumble mumble mumble [and then]
Mumble mumble mumble mumble
Mumble and Hip Hoorah.
Wave the flag for Rogers High School
The best school in the W-E-S-T!
Wave the flag for Rogers High School
The school that we love B-E-S-T!
Wave the flag for Rogers High School
And hold her banner H-I-G-H!
Wave the flag for Rogers High School
The school of do or die!
Usually sung as Rogers was losing yet another football game.
I can’t remember our fight song. I think we were way too lame to have one, and just played an up-tempo version of the school anthem to rally our teams as they fell on their faces. I do remember our anthem, written by our music director:
Hail to thee, Walt Whitman!
The best of schools we know,
We promise to be true to thee
Wherever we may go.
We will always remember
What loyalty is for,
And so we raise this song of praise:
Walt Whitman evermore!
Considering our namesake (who was born nearby), our fight song should have been based on Leaves of Grass, accompanied by a pep band of bongos.
Sexual ambiguity
Is our predilection!
(Ticka-tocka-ticka-tocka)
We sound our barbaric yawp,
In your general direction!
Rah rah rah!
I can remember the awful rugby song! To the tune of “there is a tavern in the town”.
)