Aggie War Hymn
Encyclopedia
The Aggie War Hymn is the official fight song
of Texas A&M University
.
. Wilson combined several Aggie yells then in use at the time into a song called "Good-bye to Texas University." It was sung frequently by a quartet Wilson organized after returning to Texas A&M after the war.
One night in 1920, several of the Aggie Yell Leaders heard Wilson's quartet singing the song, and asked him to let them submit it in a contest for a new fight song to be held that fall (after Wilson graduated). Wilson agreed, and the song, considerably jazzed up, was officially adopted that fall under its current title.
The song is noted for beginning with Recall
, an old bugle call
, in two different keys. These are the keys of the bugles in use by the US Army during WWI, the M1894 Field Trumpet in B-flat (aka, the "Trench Bugle") and the M1896 Field Trumpet in G, which is the "bugle" still in use today. This is a nod to Texas A&M's past as a military school. Indeed, for many years, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
's halftime show has begun with the drum major shouting "Recall! Step off on 'Hullabaloo!'"
The starting phrase of the song, "Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!" came from an Old Army Aggie yell written in 1907. Texas A&M University president Jack K. Williams jokingly defined it as Chickasaw
Indian for "Beat the hell out of the University of Texas"
The original song is actually the second verse of the hymn; in 1928, Wilson wrote another verse at the request of several Aggie students who thought the original was too focused on the Aggies' rivalry with the University of Texas
. The additional lyrics comprise what is now the first verse of the song. However, the first verse has never caught on, in part because many felt it sounded too much like an Ivy League
song. Thus, in practice, the second (original) verse is usually sung twice.
The second verse opens with "Goodbye to texas university"; these words were chosen since Aggies refer to their principal athletic rival, the University of Texas, as "texas university", or "t.u.". Also, in practice, the phrase "sounds like hell" is inserted after the line "that is the song they sing so well"; however, the phrase is not officially part of the song.
After the second verse, Aggie fans link their arms and legs, and sway left and right to replicate the motion of a saw blade; this is called "sawing Varsity's horns off" (prior to the Texas football team
adopting the Longhorn as the official mascot, the team was simply known as "Varsity"). When this happens during football games at Kyle Field
, this causes the entire west upper deck, including the press box, to sway. This often unnerves sportswriters who haven't covered an Aggie game before.
In 1997, the song was rated as the No. 1 college fight song by USA Today
. It was also used by NASA
Flight Director Gerry Griffin to wake up astronauts in space from 1983 to 1995.
The song was also used as a wakeup call on Day 11 of space mission STS-121
for Texas A&M former student and mission specialist Mike Fossum.
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
of Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
.
History
It was written by J.V. "Pinky" Wilson, one of many Aggies who fought in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Wilson combined several Aggie yells then in use at the time into a song called "Good-bye to Texas University." It was sung frequently by a quartet Wilson organized after returning to Texas A&M after the war.
One night in 1920, several of the Aggie Yell Leaders heard Wilson's quartet singing the song, and asked him to let them submit it in a contest for a new fight song to be held that fall (after Wilson graduated). Wilson agreed, and the song, considerably jazzed up, was officially adopted that fall under its current title.
The song is noted for beginning with Recall
Recall (bugle call)
Recall is a bugle call used to signals to soldiers that duties or drills are to cease, or to indicate that a period of relaxation should end. Outside of a military context, it is used to signal when a game should end, such as a game of capture the flag among scouts.-History:Like other bugle calls,...
, an old bugle call
Bugle call
A bugle call is a short tune, originating as a military signal announcing scheduled and certain non-scheduled events on a military installation, battlefield, or ship. Historically, bugles, drums, and other loud musical instruments were used for clear communication in the noise and confusion of a...
, in two different keys. These are the keys of the bugles in use by the US Army during WWI, the M1894 Field Trumpet in B-flat (aka, the "Trench Bugle") and the M1896 Field Trumpet in G, which is the "bugle" still in use today. This is a nod to Texas A&M's past as a military school. Indeed, for many years, the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
Fightin' Texas Aggie Band
The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band is the official marching band of Texas A&M University. Composed of over 300 men and women from the school's Corps of Cadets, it is the largest military marching band in the world...
's halftime show has begun with the drum major shouting "Recall! Step off on 'Hullabaloo!'"
The starting phrase of the song, "Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!" came from an Old Army Aggie yell written in 1907. Texas A&M University president Jack K. Williams jokingly defined it as Chickasaw
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
Indian for "Beat the hell out of the University of Texas"
The original song is actually the second verse of the hymn; in 1928, Wilson wrote another verse at the request of several Aggie students who thought the original was too focused on the Aggies' rivalry with the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. The additional lyrics comprise what is now the first verse of the song. However, the first verse has never caught on, in part because many felt it sounded too much like an Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
song. Thus, in practice, the second (original) verse is usually sung twice.
The second verse opens with "Goodbye to texas university"; these words were chosen since Aggies refer to their principal athletic rival, the University of Texas, as "texas university", or "t.u.". Also, in practice, the phrase "sounds like hell" is inserted after the line "that is the song they sing so well"; however, the phrase is not officially part of the song.
After the second verse, Aggie fans link their arms and legs, and sway left and right to replicate the motion of a saw blade; this is called "sawing Varsity's horns off" (prior to the Texas football team
Texas Longhorns football
The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...
adopting the Longhorn as the official mascot, the team was simply known as "Varsity"). When this happens during football games at Kyle Field
Kyle Field
Kyle Field is the football stadium located on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. It has been the home to the Texas A&M Aggie football team in rudimentary form since 1904, and as a complete stadium since 1927. It is known as The Home of the 12th Man...
, this causes the entire west upper deck, including the press box, to sway. This often unnerves sportswriters who haven't covered an Aggie game before.
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
. It was also used by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Flight Director Gerry Griffin to wake up astronauts in space from 1983 to 1995.
The song was also used as a wakeup call on Day 11 of space mission STS-121
STS-121
STS-121 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster of February 2003 as well as to deliver supplies, equipment and...
for Texas A&M former student and mission specialist Mike Fossum.
External links
- Aggie War Hymn sung on Studio B
- Editorial on War Hymn in The Battalion, the school newspaper
- Sound file (from Aggie Band web site)
- description in Kingman Daily Miner
- ESPN column on the wording