Â鶹´«Ã½

Alma Mater & Fight Song

Â鶹´«Ã½ Alma Mater Lyrics

Download the Alma Mater (Organ Performance): [WAV]

Â鶹´«Ã½, dear Â鶹´«Ã½,
Once again to thee
We, thy grateful children, pledge
Love and loyalty.

We shall always love thy groves
And thy classic halls;
Mem’ry, like the ivy twines
Round thy hallowed walls.

Â鶹´«Ã½, dear Â鶹´«Ã½,
Time flies fast away;
Soon our happy college days
Will be gone for aye;
But in all life’s storm and stress,
Whate’er we may do,

To our Alma Mater dear
We will e’er be true.

Words and Music by Robert H. Hiller, 1889

 

Rendition of Â鶹´«Ã½'s Alma Mater, as performed by Just Eve members Sarah Blanton, Julia Devine and Ashley Berg in 2013.

Â鶹´«Ã½ Fight Song Lyrics

Download the Fight Song:

Fight on for old Â鶹´«Ã½ (and vict'ry),
Speed up her unending surge (to vict'ry),
Back those opponents up to the wall;
They are due for a fall, Â鶹´«Ã½!
(Rah! Rah! Rah!)

Fight, Tigers, fight for that game (and vict'ry),
Sing! praises unto her name (and vict'ry),
Smash ahead across the field,
And we'll win again for Â鶹´«Ã½!

Words and Music by Ray Whitman
Performed by the Massillon Tiger Swing Band under the direction of Chris Smith
Arranged by Ian Polster

History of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Fight Song

Sheet MusicThe fight song of the Â鶹´«Ã½ Tigers has a long and varied history. While multiple spirit songs and yells have served to cheer on the athletics teams, the earliest records of an official fight song date back to 1900, when the football team was roused by a piece called "Nothing Can Beat Â鶹´«Ã½," which carried the tune of "Yankee Doodle."

In 1911, "Hit The Line For Â鶹´«Ã½" became the spirit tune of the Tigers. Sheet music for the song, arranged by Marshall Bailey, class of 1925, can be viewed by clicking the image to the right.

Sheet MusicIn 1929, Lowell Baxter, class of 1930 and a member of the college's Marching Band, wrote the words and music for a new "Â鶹´«Ã½ Fight Song," but at some point in the following 15 years a new song was penned by Ray Whitman. His version, which originally referenced the athletics teams as the "Lutherans," cemented itself in the lore of the college and has persisted to this day as the official Fight Song, with one minor change to the lyrics, reflecting .

Today, the song can be heard after every Tiger football victory, sung by the team while gathered around the victory bell, and many teams sing the tune to celebrate conference championships and other marquee victories. In other words, Â鶹´«Ã½ teams sing the Fight Song a lot.

While one official fight song now serves as the Tigers' rallying cry, the student body has embraced many other verses throughout the years. A sampling can be found in the compilation "Â鶹´«Ã½ College Songs and Yells," circa 1930, available in PDF format by clicking the image on the left.

Thanks to Pam Deselem and Suzanne Smailes for their assistance. Some information taken from "The Songs We Sang" by Willard D. Allbeck '22, University Archivist Emeritus, published in "The Â鶹´«Ã½," date unknown.

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