The Commonwealth of Virginia's Ultimate Blog

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Musical Mayhem: The Fight for A New State Song

As promised in the comments below, here is a set of proposed lyrics for the song "Shenandoah," to make the song more Virginia-centric.

Oh, Shenandoah,
I hear you calling.
To the heart of all your people.
Oh, Shenandoah,
I hear you calling.
And I pause, and think of home,
In my dear Virginia.

Oh, mountains tall,
I see your splendor.
And my heart soars like your summits.
Oh, mountains tall,
I see your splendor.
And I pause, and think of home,
In my dear Virginia.

Oh, rolling wave,
I taste your sea spray.
Old as time, yet ever changing.
Oh, rolling wave,
I taste your sea spray.
And I pause, and think of home,
In my dear Virginia.

Oh, brother mine,
My hand I offer.
Stand with me and be my neighbor.
Oh, sister mine,
My hand I offer.
And I pause, and think of home,
In my dear Virginia.

Very beautiful, although I think it's missing something. It just seems to me it doesn't take in the whole breadth of Virginia's people and culture. Who could be left out.........I KNOW! Here's my suggestion for a final verse.

Oh, 95
Cars snarled in traffic
Standing still, there on your asphalt
Oh, 95
I long to drive home
Away, so far away
Out to west Loudoun

There we go.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Great song about 95. You could easily adapt the lyrics to fit 395, 495...

5:39 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

All kidding aside, for a REAL song about Virginia, go to

http://virginiasong.suzannemcdermott.com/

for Suzanne McDermott's
Carry Me Back to the Beautiful

Carry Me Back to the Beautiful
To the place where lovers meet
Where the ghosts of our beginnings
Linger over every street

Red clay and wild horses
Mountains, farms, rivers and sea
Where would you rather be than
In Virginia?

Carry Me Back
to the Beautiful
Carry Me Back
to the Beautiful
Carry me back to a place in time
Carry me back for peace of mind
Where the spirit is set free
Through the landscape and history
Nowhere I’d rather be than
In Virginia

Sail with shore birds on Chesapeake
Touch heaven from Skyline Drive
Roll through Shenandoah
Watch Williamsburg come alive

Washington and Jefferson
Madison and Monroe
All fell in love with
Beautiful Virginia

Carry Me Back
to the Beautiful
Carry Me Back
to the Beautiful
Carry me back to a place in time
Carry me back for peace of mind
Where the spirit is set free
Through the landscape and history
Nowhere I’d rather be than
In Virginia

©2005 Suzanne McDermott/Drexel Road Music
(ASCAP) All Rights Reserved

You don't have to stretch or translate or parody with those lyrics. It sounds good, too.

9:26 PM

 

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