Maryland State Anthem Lyrics Part 1 (1 Viewer)

[Ahsoka]

Okay so this was going to be part 2 really, where part 1 is the background thread I made yesterday. But I’m not even done writing about all the lyrics and I already know that lots of people would look at the length and decide not to read it so I’m further dividing the 9 stanzas into 3 parts to make it more manageable. So today I’ll post the explanations of the first 3 stanzas. I’ll post the whole song each day in a spoiler, and also links to the previous threads if you missed those.

History behind Maryland’s weird anthem - K-Pop Source — Keeping the K-Pop Forum Spirit Alive

This will be in two parts. This thread will be about the background history, and the next will be about the lyrics themselves. While I hope we can all disagree with the message of “Maryland should join the Confederate States of America”, it’s still a kinda interesting song. Especially since...

kpopsource.com

Here are the full lyrics of the song from Marylands government site. I’m also posting a video of the song if you prefer that.

Spoiler

*Note, when singing the song, the lines of the song that just say Maryland! are replaced with Maryland, my Maryland to maintain the rhythm. I’ll go stanza by stanza and get rid the Maryland My Maryland parts in the analysis


I
The despot's heel is on thy shore,
Maryland!
His torch is at thy temple door,
Maryland!
Avenge the patriotic gore
That flecked the streets of Baltimore,
And be the battle queen of yore,
Maryland! My Maryland!

II
Hark to an exiled son's appeal,
Maryland!
My Mother State! to thee I kneel,
Maryland!
For life or death, for woe or weal,
Thy peerless chivalry reveal,
And gird thy beauteous limbs with steel,
Maryland! My Maryland!

III
Thou wilt not cower in the dust,
Maryland!
Thy beaming sword shall never rust,
Maryland!
Remember Carroll's sacred trust,
Remember Howard's warlike thrust,-
And all thy slumberers with the just,
Maryland! My Maryland!

IV
Come! 'tis the red dawn of the day,
Maryland!
Come with thy panoplied array,
Maryland!
With Ringgold's spirit for the fray,
With Watson's blood at Monterey,
With fearless Lowe and dashing May,
Maryland! My Maryland!

V
Come! for thy shield is bright and strong,
Maryland!
Come! for thy dalliance does thee wrong,
Maryland!
Come to thine own anointed throng,
Stalking with Liberty along,
And sing thy dauntless slogan song,
Maryland! My Maryland!

VI
Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain,
Maryland!
Virginia should not call in vain,
Maryland!
She meets her sisters on the plain-
Sic semper! 'tis the proud refrain
That baffles minions back amain,
Maryland!
Arise in majesty again,
Maryland! My Maryland!

VII
I see the blush upon thy cheek,
Maryland!
For thou wast ever bravely meek,
Maryland!
But lo! there surges forth a shriek,
From hill to hill, from creek to creek,
Potomac calls to Chesapeake,
Maryland! My Maryland!

VIII
Thou wilt not yield the Vandal toll,
Maryland!
Thou wilt not crook to his control,
Maryland!
Better the fire upon thee roll, Better the shot, the blade, the bowl,
Than crucifixion of the Soul,
Maryland! My Maryland!

IX
I hear the distant thunder-hum,
Maryland!
The Old Line bugle, fife, and drum,
Maryland!
She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb-
Huzza! She spurns the Northern scum!
She breathes! She burns! She'll come! She'll come!
Maryland! My Maryland!

Stanza 1:
“The despot's heel is on thy shore”-Despot being Lincoln
“His torch is at thy temple door”-saying that the threat of invasion was at the door of the “sacred” confederate cause in Maryland.
“Avenge the patriotic gore, That flecked the streets of Baltimore”-Referring to the Marylanders who died in the Baltimore riot
“And be the battle queen of yore”-this is referring back to Marylands reputation as a place of heroism and military valor that it earned in earlier US conflicts.

Stanza 2:
“Hark to an exiled son's appeal”-He wasn’t actually exiled, he just moved to teach at a college in another state. But “hark to a person who moved away from the state to get a job’s appeal” doesn’t have the same pizzazz and deep emotions that he’s trying to make.
“My Mother State! to thee I kneel”-pretty straightforward
“For life or death, for woe or weal”-basically saying it is what it is and he accepts the consequences of everything
“Thy peerless chivalry reveal”-again saying that Maryland is chivalrous and stuff
“And gird thy beauteous limbs with steel”-conjuring up images of goddesses of war clad in shields and weapons

Stanza 3:
“Thou wilt not cower in the dust”- Maryland will be brave
“Thy beaming sword shall never rust”-Maryland will forever be ready to fight, its sword will never rust because of lack of use, and there’s also divine imagery with the usage of beaming
“Remember Carroll's sacred trust”-Carroll was a prominent patriot from Maryland. He was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the only Catholic signer, and the richest man in Maryland
“Remember Howard's warlike thrust”-he was as very prominent Maryland soldier in the Revolutionary war, known for leadership and cavalry charges
“And all thy slumberers with the just”-A Bible reference, saying those who fall for just causes will always be peaceful in death. Another attempt to give divine implication to joining the confederacy

 

[Ahsoka]

History tag:
@intothevault @Nyaz @Dreamer_of_Songs @Nina @velvet @FairyflossBoss @ChuuAntics @alo @sick @Moguri

Also if you’re on the history tag and don’t want to be tagged for this let me know, and if you want to be tagged for this but not be in the history tag let me know

 

[dark_tranquility]

interesting stanzas