“On Wisconsin” was originally going to the Minnesota’s song but Wisconsin snatched it up first. Just as well actually as the words don’t really fit Minnesota.
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Stand up, Badgers, sing!
“Forward” is our driving spirit,
Loyal voices ring.
We also like to say “U! rah! rah!” at various points.
We’re gonna go all the way with our team
We’re gonna fight all the way and say,
We’ll fight today, win today,
Scarlet and gray!
Hm hm hm hmmmmmm
And Conard High go all the way,
We’ll show them that no team
Can match our Chieftains today!
It sounded generic, just plug in the school colors, name of school, and mascot, and there ya go.
I didn’t like my school, or sports, so have no no idea why I remember any of this, 43 years later.
My mom used to sing her school fight song (class of 1939):
We’ll be loyal to you, Oak Park High
Hmm hmm something and blue, Oak Park High…
and a fractured version of the Cornell song from the 40s:
Far above Cayuga’s waters, there’s an awful smell,
Where ten thousand sons of bitches call themselves Cornell. (She liked to sing this to my sister who went to Cornell.)
Wow. I recall neither the tune nor any of the words to my high school’s song. Not even a snippet! Maybe it would ring a bell if I heard it? I don’t know. There’s got to be some serious memory repression involved in that. I remember large chunks of popular songs from that era (and they were REALLY BAD popular songs, that I’d rather not remember – I was a kid in the 70’s). I also remember theme songs to old 70’s TV shows that I’d rather forget, and commercial jingles from decades ago. (I haven’t owned a TV in 20 years, and freedom from commercials and their ear-worm jingles is great.)
I just had to look up the words of my old school song. I had remembered a few, but not all that many. Similarly, I can remember just one or two snippest of tune. The words have certain olde worlde charm, I think:
We join in fellowship to sing
Glad praises to our school.
May we be eager all our days
To live beneath
her rule.
Learning, Service, Tolerance
Are precepts old and tried,
To stir our hearts and lift our heads
As we stand side by side.
Within the shelter of her walls,
On distant hill or plain
Our love for her will constant be,
Proud feelings will remain.
Ancient cross and Chanticleer
Insist we take our place,
With urgent steps and shining eyes,
The foremost in the race.
Swift Afon Llwyd is at her feet,
Twm Barlwm by her side
Beloved by all her children,
With whom she will abide,
Ysgol Croesyceiliog,
We glory in thy name,
May all thy sons and daughters strive
To bring thee lasting fame.
my school (all girl, no fight song)
Mt. Notre Dame today we gather
Your honored name to praise and sing
The glory of your name resounds now
In each lesson that you shall give.
Mason’s fight song
When we wear the green and white
When we wear the green and white
We’ll remember the days we spent together
When we wear the green and white
Moeller (all boy’s school) fight song
We men of Moeller High
Crusaders till we die
mumble mumble mumble
Fight fight fight
mumble mumble mumble
Of Moeller High.
That’s my problem with rhyming rain with again. Until one of you folks pointed out to me that those words actually do rhyme where you live. Whenever that pops up in hymns, I’ll sing them in practice so that they’ll rhyme and then my wife says, “quit that.”