On, Wisconsin!
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"On, Wisconsin!" is the official state song of Wisconsin as well as the fight song of the University of Wisconsin-Madison athletic teams.
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History of the song
The tune was composed in 1909 by William T. Purdy, with the intention of using entering it into a competition for a new Minnesota football fight song. Carl Beck, a former University of Wisconsin student, convinced him to allow his alma mater to use it instead. Beck went on to write the original, football-oriented lyrics. (The eventual winner of the competition became known as the Minnesota Rouser).
The lyrics were rewritten for the state song in 1913 by Judge Charles D. Rosa and J. S. Hubbard. The song was widely recognized as the state song at that time, but was never officially designated. Finally in 1959, "On, Wisconsin!" was codified in Chapter 170, Section 1.10 of the statutes.
Although there are persistent rumors that the rights to the song are owned by Paul McCartney or Michael Jackson (this has even been reported by the Christian Science Monitor [1] (http://csmonitor.com/cgi-bin/durableRedirect.pl?/durable/1998/06/11/p51s1.htm)), the song is actually in the public domain. [2] (http://www.badgerband.com/music/onwis.html)
Battle Cry
"On, Wisconsin!" was the cry that Arthur MacArthur, Jr. used in the Battle of Chattanooga at Missionary Ridge, in the Civil War. He seized the regimental colors, and rallied his regiment with "On, Wisconsin", for which he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
State Lyrics
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Grand old badger state!
We, thy loyal sons and daughters,
Hail thee, good and great.
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Champion of the right,
"Forward", our motto -
God will give thee might!
UW-Madison Lyrics
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Plunge right through that line!
Run the ball clear down the field,
(originally "Run the ball clear 'round Chicago")
A touchdown sure this time.
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Fight on for her fame
Fight! Fellows! - fight, fight, fight!
We'll win this game.
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Stand up, Badgers, sing!
"Forward" is our driving spirit,
Loyal voices ring.
On, Wisconsin! On, Wisconsin!
Raise her glowing flame
Stand, Fellows, let us now
Salute her name!
External links
- Wisconsin State Song, from Wisconsin.gov (http://www.wisconsin.gov/state/core/wisconsin_state_song.html)
- History of song from UW-Madison Band website (http://www.badgerband.com/music/onwis.html)
- Article on "On Wisconsin!" from the Capital Times newspaper (http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/moe/index.php?ntid=11265&ntpid=2)
- MP3 file of "On, Wisconsin!" played by the UW-Madison Marching Band (http://www.badgerband.com/songs/on_wis_traditional.mp3)