rly Faculty, adapted from the old church tune: "Where, Oh Where,
are the Hebrew Children?" has been suggested. It is probably one of the
oldest of Michigan songs, and has survived through a succession of
student and faculty generations; though now it is one of the least of
many, and is only heard in the variation,--
Where, Oh where, are the verdant freshmen?
They've gone out from their prescribed English,
Safe now in the Sophomore class,
and so on.
Most of the songs of earlier days are now forgotten. In 1864-65 the
_Palladium_ offered a prize of $10 for the best original song, and of
the two which were considered of equal merit, one at least survived for
many years and was sung at all great University occasions. It was set to
the air of the Marseillaise, and the first stanza is as follows:
Come, jolly boys, and lift your voices,
Ring out, ring out, one hearty song;
Praise her in whom each son rejoices,
And let the notes be loud and long.
'Tis Alma Mater wakes the spirit,
And prompts the strain of harmony--
Oh, sing to her triumphantly!
The glorious theme--do ye not hear it?
Hurrah! Hurrah! ye sons
By Alma Mater blest!
All hail! All hail! her honored name,
The pride of all the West!
Professor Gayley wrote several other songs which have long been
deservedly popular. One of them, "Birds of a Feather," arranged by
Professor Stanley to the "Eton Boating Song," is as follows:
O whiles we tell of rushes,--
O whiles we sing and sup,--
And sip the wine that flushes,
In Hebe's amber cup,
And toast the maid that blushes
And smiles, and then looks up,
And toast the maid that blushes,
And smiles, and then looks up!
In sad or singing weather,
In hours of gloom or glee;
Birds of a feather
We haunt the same old tree,--
And sing, sing together,
O Michigan, of thee!
Another song by Professor Fred N. Scott which was popular for many
years, usually known as "Ann Arbor, 'tis of thee we sing," has fallen
from its former esteem, because it was sung to the tune of "The Watch on
the Rhine." The words of the first verse are as follows:
Ann Arbor, 'tis of thee we sing,
From thee our choicest blessings spring;
Accept the tribute of our song,
O Alma Mater, wise and strong.
We love thy classic shades and shrines,
We love thy murm'ring elms and pines;
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