VA Gov – Song Sung Blue

Summary:  The issues don’t seem to be holding much attention in the Virginia governor’s race.  I believe that will change as we near the June 9 Democratic Primary.  I also think (and hope) that the issues will become the centerpiece of the general election in November.  However, there is one issue that I am willing to put forward right now – the issue of campaign songs.  Few people know that the Commonwealth of Virginia does not have a state song.  We have a state fish (brook trout), a state bird (the Northern Cardinal) and a state insect (tiger swallowtail butterfly) but we do not have a state song.

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny – From 1940 to 1997 the official state song was Carry Me Back to Old Virginny (slightly reworded from the original using Virginia instead of Virginny).  On January 28, 1997 the ever vigilant state legislature relegated the song to “state song emeritus” because of its (possibly) racist overtones.  The song portrays the thoughts of a recently freed slave who, in parts, seems nostalgic for his former days as a slave.  There are certainly some lyrics that make a person cringe.  The lyrics of the original song can be found on Wikipedia at   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carry_Me_Back_to_Old_Virginny.

Reading the lyrics gives credence to the thought that the song is racist – especially for a song that was the state song for almost 40 years.  If a standard-issue white redneck had written the song then there would be no controversy.  It would be obviously a racist song.  However, it was written by a well educated African American, James A. Bland (1854 – 1911).  Bland grew up in New York and was educated in DC at Howard University.  He wrote over 700 ballads.  Some believe that the intelligent and erudite Mr. Bland wrote the song with an ironic tongue in cheek poking fun at some post – reconstruction European Americans who made the indefensible claim that maybe slavery wasn’t all that bad.  Given that Mr. Bland has been posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (1970) I think it safe to assume that the song had a rather full dose of sarcasm.  After all Mr. Bland also wrote On Dem Golden Slippers which became the unofficial song of the Mummers Parade.  Even with the notoriety of the Mummers, more remember the song as remade into the commercial “Oh those golden grahams”.  In any regard, I have to agree with the GA in retiring a song that could be seen as racist.

The New State Song - Once the old song was retired a study committee initiated a search for a new state song.  The GA suspended the contest in 2000 but then re-instated the contest recently.  Meanwhile, a state Senate panel voted to designate Shenandoah as the “interim official state song”.  Sadly, on March 1, 2006 the House Rules Committee voted down bill SB682 which would have made Shenandoah the official state song.  The whole matter went on the scrap heap of General Assembly history along with a transportation plan, abusive driver fees and energy policy.  But this song thing gets me mad.  We need a state song.  Maryland has a state song.  Tennessee has five state songs including Rocky Top.

My proposal - There are four men running for Governor of Virginia this year.  Each of them should pick a song from among the songs listed in the link below (you can download some, stream some – all free).  Whoever wins the election gets their campaign song enshrined as the official state song of Virginia.

http://songsinthekeyofhope.com/rockin_in_the_free_world

Note: For authentic Virginians – The Gladstones, Chicken Head Blues Band, American Dumpster and Tim & Jessie Ryan are all Virginia – based musicians.

Which song was your favorite?