STATE SONGS
Tennessee State Songs
In 1925, the 64th General Assembly, by
House Joint Resolution 36, adopted My
Homeland, Tennessee as an official state
song.
The words of this song were
written by Nell Grayson Taylor.
The music was by Roy Lamont Smith.
First Verse
O Tennessee, that gave us birth,
Second Verse
'Twas long ago our fathers came,
Third Verse
Could we forget our heritage
Chorus
O Tennessee: Fair Tennessee:
To thee our hearts bow down.
For thee our love and loyalty
Shall weave a fadeless crown.
Thy purple hills our cradle was;
Thy fields our mother breast
Beneath thy sunny bended skies,
Our childhood days were blessed.
A free and noble band,
Across the mountain's frowning
heights
To seek a promised land.
And here before their raptured eyes;
In beauteous majesty:
Outspread the smiling valleys
Of the winding Tennessee.
Of heroes strong and brave?
Could we do aught but cherish it,
Unsullied to the grave?
Ah no! the State where Jackson
sleeps,
Shall ever peerless be.
We glory in thy majesty;
When It's
Time In Tennessee
Our homeland, Tennessee.
Our love for thee can never die:
Dear homeland, Tennessee.
"When It's Iris Time in Tennessee"
In 1935, When It's Iris Time in
Tennessee by Willa Waid Newman also
became an official state song.
This
song was adopted by the 69th General
Assembly in Chapter 154 of the Public
Acts.
First Verse
Sweetness of Spring memories bring
Second Verse
Rocks and the rills deep tinted
hills,
Chorus
When it's Iris time down in
Tennessee,
Of a place I long to be.
Land of Sunshine calls this old heart of
mine,
Come back to Tennessee.
There's no spot so dear to me.
Where'er I roam still it's my Home Sweet
Home,
My own, my Tennessee.
I'll be coming back to stay
Where the mockingbird sings at the break
of day
A lilting love song gay.
Where the Iris grows,
Where the Harpeth flows,
That is where I long to be.
There's a picture there that lives in
memory
When it's Iris time in Tennessee.
My Tennessee by Frances Hannah Tranum
was adopted as the official public
school song in 1955.
It was adopted
by Senate Joint Resolution 35 of the
79th General Assembly.
First Verse
Beloved state, oh state of mine,
Second Verse
Thy rocks and rills, and wooded
hills,
Third Verse
Your battles fought, and vict'ries
won,
Chorus
Oh, Tennessee, My Tennessee,
In all the world I could not find,
Where God has strewn with lavish
hand,
More natural beauty o'er the land.
From ev'ry stream and valley green
His wond'rous art is ever seen.
Ah, let my heart beat true to thee,
And swell with pride for Tennessee.
My mem'ry keeps the childhood
thrills
You gave to me, that I might know
The joys supreme, you could bestow.
The song of birds, the whisp'ring
trees,
The low of herds, the hum of bees,
It all comes back so dear to me,
My childhood home in Tennessee.
Your freedom bought and duty done,
With daughters fair, and sons so
brave,
To do and dare, their deeds they
gave.
Courageously, without a fear,
And won the name of volunteer.
In sacred trust, let those who will,
By being just, preserve it still.
Thy hills and vales are fair to see,
With mountains grand, and fertile
lands
There is no state more dear to me.
Thro' other climes tho I may roam,
There will be times I'll long for
home,
In Tennessee, Fair Tennessee,
The land of my nativity.
In 1965, Tennessee Waltz by Redd Stewart
and Pee Wee King became an official song
of the state.
It was adopted by
Senate Joint Resolution 9 of the 84th
General Assembly.
I was waltzing with my darlin'
to the
Tennessee Waltz
When an old friend I happened to see
Introduced him to my loved one
and
while they were waltzing
My friend stole my sweetheart from
me.
I remember the night and the Tennessee
Waltz
Now I know just how much I have lost
Yes I lost my little darlin'
the
night they were playing
The beautiful Tennessee Waltz.
Wish that I was on ol' Rocky Top,
Second Verse
Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky
Top,
Third Verse
I've had years of cramped-up city
life
Chorus
Rocky Top, you'll always be
"Rocky Top"
Rocky Top, by Boudleaux and Felice
Bryant, was adopted as an official song
of Tennessee by Chapter 545 of the
Public Acts of 1982.
down in the Tennessee hills;
Ain't no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top;
Ain't no telephone bills;
Once I had a girl on Rocky Top;
Half bear, other half cat;
Wild as a mink, but sweet as soda
pop,
I still dream about that;
lookin' for a moonshine still;
Strangers ain't come down from Rocky
Top;
Reckon they never will;
Corn won't grow at all on Rocky Top;
Dirt's too rocky by far;
That's why all the folks on Rocky
Top
get their corn from a jar;
Trapped like a duck in a pen;
All I know is it's a pity life
Can't be simple again.
home sweet home to me;
Good ol' Rocky Top;
Rocky Top, Tennessee;
Rocky Top, Tennessee.
"Tennessee"
Tennessee by Vivian Rorie was adopted as
an official song of Tennessee in
1992.
It was adopted by House Joint
Resolution 744 of the 97th General
Assembly.
I do not know of another state
Where I had rather be
Than this great state I'm living in
And that is Tennessee.
I love the stars dearly
And there are surely three
That show the Grand Division
Of my home-land, Tennessee
Where could you find a meadow
With grass so vividly green?
Where could you find the mountains
With such majestic scene?
You will never find so bright a moon
To shine down from above
You will also see the robin
The wren, and the turtle dove.
And don't forget the rivers
Where visitors long to stay.
And many have voiced in parting,
'I'm sure glad I passed this way.'
You will see the cattle grazing
Beside a cotton field;
And there's the Grand Ole Opry
And a feeling it's all God's will.
I have lived here all my life
It's where I'm going to be
Although I've traveled quite a bit,
I'll still take Tennessee!
Oh, I sure love the state I'm in:
The great state of Tennessee!
