Maryland, My Maryland
Encyclopedia
"Maryland, My Maryland" is the official state song of the U.S. state of Maryland
. The song is set to the tune of "Lauriger Horatius" (better known as the tune of "O Tannenbaum
") and the lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall
. While the words were penned in 1861, it was not until April 29, 1939, that the state's general assembly
adopted "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song.
Written originally as a poem, the song refers to Maryland's history
and geography and specifically mentions several historical figures of importance to the state. The song calls for Maryland to fight the Union and was used across the South during the Civil War
as a battle hymn. It has been called America's "most martial poem."
Occasional attempts have been made to replace it as Maryland's state song due to its origin in support for the Confederacy
and lyrics that refer to President Lincoln as a "tyrant," "despot," and "Vandal," and to the Union as "Northern scum."
. During the secession crisis, President Abraham Lincoln
(referred to in the poem as "the despot" and "the tyrant") ordered federal troops to be brought to Washington, D.C.
to protect the capital. Many of these troops were brought through Baltimore City, a major transportation hub. There was considerable Confederate
sympathy in Maryland at the time. Riots ensued as Federal troops came through Baltimore on their way south in April 1861 and were attacked by mobs. A number of Union troops and Baltimore residents were killed in the Baltimore riots
, including Francis X. Ward, a friend of James Ryder Randall
. Randall, a native Marylander, was teaching at Poydras College
in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
, at the time and, moved by the news of his friend's death, wrote the nine-stanza poem, "Maryland, My Maryland". The poem was a plea to his home state of Maryland to secede from the Union
and join the Confederacy. The poem contains many references to the Revolutionary War as well as to the Mexican-American War and Maryland figures in that war (many of whom have fallen into obscurity). It was first published in the New Orleans
Sunday Delta on 26 April 1861.
The poem was quickly turned into a song, by putting it to the tune "Lauriger Horatius", by Miss Jennie Carrie, sister of Hetty Cary
. It became instantly popular in Maryland and throughout the South. It was sometimes called "the Marseillaise
of the South." Confederate States Army
bands played the song after they crossed into Maryland territory during the Maryland Campaign
in 1862. According to some accounts, General Robert E. Lee ordered his troops to sing "Maryland, My Maryland," as they entered the town of Frederick
, Maryland, but his troops received a cold response, as Frederick was located in the unionist western portion of the state. At least one Confederate regimental band also played the song as Lee's troops retreated back across the Potomac after the bloody Battle of Antietam
.
, with a second strain that is a variation on the "Lauriger Horatius" theme, which is played after the original theme, then the two themes are played together to produce counterpoint
. The march remains a popular instrumental standard with New Orleans traditional brass band
s and traditional jazz bands. Many who know the tune in these contexts are unfamiliar with the lyrics.
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
* Although the words as written, and as adopted by statute, contain only one instance of "Maryland" in the second and fourth line of each stanza, common practice is to sing "Maryland, my Maryland" each time to keep with the meter of the tune.
" are set to the same tune. Both of them were written after "Maryland, My Maryland".
In 1962 Edmund Wilson
used the phrase "patriotic gore" from the song as the title of his book on the literature of the American Civil War
.
The third verse of this song is sung annually at the Preakness Stakes
by the United States Naval Academy
men's glee club.
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. The song is set to the tune of "Lauriger Horatius" (better known as the tune of "O Tannenbaum
O Tannenbaum
"O Tannenbaum", or, in its English version, "O Christmas Tree", is a Christmas carol of German origin.A Tannenbaum is a fir tree or Christmas tree...
") and the lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall
James Ryder Randall
James Ryder Randall was an American journalist and poet. He is best remembered as the author of "Maryland, My Maryland".-Biography:Randall was born on January 1, 1839 in Baltimore, Maryland....
. While the words were penned in 1861, it was not until April 29, 1939, that the state's general assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...
adopted "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song.
Written originally as a poem, the song refers to Maryland's history
History of Maryland
The history of Maryland included only Native Americans until Europeans, starting with John Cabot in 1498, began exploring the area. The first settlements came in 1634 when the English arrived in significant numbers and created a permanent colony. In 1776, during the American Revolution, Maryland...
and geography and specifically mentions several historical figures of importance to the state. The song calls for Maryland to fight the Union and was used across the South during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
as a battle hymn. It has been called America's "most martial poem."
Occasional attempts have been made to replace it as Maryland's state song due to its origin in support for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
and lyrics that refer to President Lincoln as a "tyrant," "despot," and "Vandal," and to the Union as "Northern scum."
Origin
The poem was a result of events at the beginning of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. During the secession crisis, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
(referred to in the poem as "the despot" and "the tyrant") ordered federal troops to be brought to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to protect the capital. Many of these troops were brought through Baltimore City, a major transportation hub. There was considerable Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
sympathy in Maryland at the time. Riots ensued as Federal troops came through Baltimore on their way south in April 1861 and were attacked by mobs. A number of Union troops and Baltimore residents were killed in the Baltimore riots
Baltimore riot of 1861
The Baltimore riot of 1861 was an incident that took place on April 19, 1861, in Baltimore, Maryland between Confederate sympathizers and members of the Massachusetts militia en route to Washington for Federal service...
, including Francis X. Ward, a friend of James Ryder Randall
James Ryder Randall
James Ryder Randall was an American journalist and poet. He is best remembered as the author of "Maryland, My Maryland".-Biography:Randall was born on January 1, 1839 in Baltimore, Maryland....
. Randall, a native Marylander, was teaching at Poydras College
Poydras High School
Poydras High School was a school located on Louisiana Highway 1 in the city of New Roads, Louisiana, United States.The school came into existence, in the early 19th century, in the form of several public schools in the parish known as "Poydras Schools"...
in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, at the time and, moved by the news of his friend's death, wrote the nine-stanza poem, "Maryland, My Maryland". The poem was a plea to his home state of Maryland to secede from the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
and join the Confederacy. The poem contains many references to the Revolutionary War as well as to the Mexican-American War and Maryland figures in that war (many of whom have fallen into obscurity). It was first published in the New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
Sunday Delta on 26 April 1861.
The poem was quickly turned into a song, by putting it to the tune "Lauriger Horatius", by Miss Jennie Carrie, sister of Hetty Cary
Hetty Cary
Hetty Carr Cary was the wife of CSA General John Pegram and, later, of pioneer physiologist Henry Newell Martin. She is best remembered for making the first three battle flags of the Confederacy...
. It became instantly popular in Maryland and throughout the South. It was sometimes called "the Marseillaise
La Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
of the South." Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
bands played the song after they crossed into Maryland territory during the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
in 1862. According to some accounts, General Robert E. Lee ordered his troops to sing "Maryland, My Maryland," as they entered the town of Frederick
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
, Maryland, but his troops received a cold response, as Frederick was located in the unionist western portion of the state. At least one Confederate regimental band also played the song as Lee's troops retreated back across the Potomac after the bloody Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
.
Melody
The melody was arranged as a marchMarch (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
, with a second strain that is a variation on the "Lauriger Horatius" theme, which is played after the original theme, then the two themes are played together to produce counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
. The march remains a popular instrumental standard with New Orleans traditional brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
s and traditional jazz bands. Many who know the tune in these contexts are unfamiliar with the lyrics.
Lyrics
I- The despot's heel is on thy shore,
- Maryland!*
- His torch is at thy temple door,
- Maryland!
- Avenge the patriotic goreBaltimore riot of 1861The Baltimore riot of 1861 was an incident that took place on April 19, 1861, in Baltimore, Maryland between Confederate sympathizers and members of the Massachusetts militia en route to Washington for Federal service...
- That flecked the streets of Baltimore,
- And be the battle queen of yore,
- Maryland! My Maryland!
II
- Hark to an exiled son's appeal,
- Maryland!
- My mother State! to thee I kneel,
- Maryland!
- For life and death, for woe and weal,
- Thy peerless chivalry reveal,
- And gird thy beauteous limbs with steel,
- Maryland! My Maryland!
III
- Thou wilt not cower in the dust,
- Maryland!
- Thy beaming sword shall never rust,
- Maryland!
- Remember CarrollCharles Carroll of CarrolltonCharles Carroll of Carrollton was a wealthy Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and later as United States Senator for Maryland...
's sacred trust, - Remember HowardJohn Eager HowardJohn Eager Howard was an American soldier and politician from Maryland. He was elected as governor of the state in 1789, and served three one-year terms. He also was elected to the Continental Congress, Congress of the United States and the US Senate. He was born in and died in Baltimore County...
's warlike thrust,- - And all thy slumberers with the just,
- Maryland! My Maryland!
IV
- Come! 'tis the red dawn of the day,
- Maryland!
- Come with thy panoplied array,
- Maryland!
- With RinggoldSamuel Ringgold (soldier)Samuel B. Ringgold was an artillery officer in the United States Army who was noted for several military innovations which caused him to be called the "Father of Modern Artillery." He was also, according to some records, the first U.S...
's spirit for the fray, - With WatsonWilliam H. WatsonLieutenant Colonel William H. Watson commanded the Battalion of Baltimore and District of Columbia Volunteers in the Mexican-American War. Prior to that, he had been a captain in the Independent Blues Company of the 5th Maryland and served with the West Indies Squadron against pirates...
's blood at MontereyBattle of MonterreyIn the Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican-American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by U.S...
, - With fearless Lowe and dashing MayCharles A. MayCharles Augustus May was an American officer of the United States Army who served in the Mexican War and other campaigns over a 25-year career...
, - Maryland! My Maryland!
V
- Come! for thy shield is bright and strong,
- Maryland!
- Come! for thy dalliance does thee wrong,
- Maryland!
- Come to thine own anointed throng,
- Stalking with Liberty along,
- And chaunt thy dauntless slogan song,
- Maryland! My Maryland!
VI
- Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain,
- Maryland!
- VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
should not call in vain, - Maryland!
- She meets her sisters on the plain-
- "Sic semperSic semper tyrannisSic semper tyrannis is a Latin phrase meaning "thus always to tyrants." It is sometimes mistranslated as "down with the tyrant." The phrase is said to have originated with Marcus Junius Brutus during the assassination of Julius Caesar....
!" 'tis the proud refrain - That baffles minions back amain,
- Arise in majesty again,
- Maryland! My Maryland!
VII
- I see the blush upon thy cheek,
- Maryland!
- For thou wast ever bravely meek,
- Maryland!
- But lo! there surges forth a shriek,
- From hill to hill, from creek to creek-
- PotomacPotomac RiverThe Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
calls to ChesapeakeChesapeake BayThe Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, - Maryland! My Maryland!
VIII
- Thou wilt not yield the VandalVandalsThe Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
toll, - Maryland!
- Thou wilt not crook to his control,
- Maryland!
- Better the fire upon thee roll,
- Better the blade, the shot, the bowl,
- Than crucifixion of the soul,
- Maryland! My Maryland!
IX
- I hear the distant thunder-hum,
- Maryland!
- The Old LineMaryland LineThe Maryland Line was a formation within the Continental Army. The term "Maryland Line" referred to the quota of numbered infantry regiments assigned to Maryland at various times by the Continental Congress. These, together with similar contingents from the other twelve states, formed the...
's bugle, fife, and drum, - Maryland!
- She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb-
- Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum!
- She breathes! she burns! she'll come! she'll come!
- Maryland! My Maryland!
* Although the words as written, and as adopted by statute, contain only one instance of "Maryland" in the second and fourth line of each stanza, common practice is to sing "Maryland, my Maryland" each time to keep with the meter of the tune.
Later influence
"Florida, My Florida" and "Michigan, My MichiganMichigan, My Michigan
"Michigan, My Michigan" is a very popular anthem in the State of Michigan, but it is not an official state song. The only official anthem, a song called "My Michigan", was formally adopted in 1937 – which humourists might say was probably the only time it was ever sung, because everyone thinks the...
" are set to the same tune. Both of them were written after "Maryland, My Maryland".
In 1962 Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson was an American writer and literary and social critic and noted man of letters.-Early life:Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson, Sr., was a lawyer and served as New Jersey Attorney General. Wilson attended The Hill School, a college preparatory...
used the phrase "patriotic gore" from the song as the title of his book on the literature of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
The third verse of this song is sung annually at the Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
by the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
men's glee club.