Maryland State Anthem Lyrics Part 2 (1 Viewer)

[Ahsoka]

Part 2 of the lyrics thread for Marylands wild state anthem. Past threads on this topic are linked below

Maryland State Anthem Lyrics Part 1 - K-Pop Source — Keeping the K-Pop Forum Spirit Alive

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...

kpopsource.com

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 4:
Come! 'tis the red dawn of the day- Red dawn meaning the start of war
Come with thy panoplied array- panoplied array means prepared army here
With Ringgold's spirit for the fray- Ringgold was a Marylander sometimes called the father of modern artillery. In some records he was the first US soldier to die in the Mexican American war
With Watson's blood at Monterey- Watson was another well liked Marylander to die in the Mexican American War
With fearless Lowe and dashing May- Lowe and May were more Marylanders who died in the Mexican American War. He probably draws heavily on soldiers from the Mexican American War because it caused the US to expand and was still quite recent, and US expansion at the time was something hugely important to them

Stanza 5:
Come! for thy shield is bright and strong- meaning hurry up Maryland because you’re ready for war
Come! for thy dalliance does thee wrong- meaning hurry up, your delay is hurting the state itself
Come to thine own anointed throng- meaning come to the confederacy, supposedly chosen by god
Stalking with Liberty along- claiming that liberty literally goes with the confederacy when they go to fight. This imagery is very reminiscent of the Revolutionary war, the colonists loved this imagery back then too
And sing thy dauntless slogan song- meaning Maryland should fight and sing its war song

Stanza 6:
Dear Mother! burst the tyrant's chain- tyrant is Lincoln, his rule is the chain
Virginia should not call in vain- Virginia just seceded from the Union, which is a big reason the Baltimore Riots happened
She meets her sisters on the plain- Maryland will join her confederate sisters on the battlefield
Sic semper! 'tis the proud refrain- short for the Latin phrase Sic semper tyrannis, which means “thus always to tyrants”. Basically saying tyrants will always be overthrown in the end. It is the state motto of Virginia and on the Virginia flag, which depicts a king being stomped on. Nowadays a lot of people know that phrase as the one John Wilkes Booth shouted after shooting Lincoln
That baffles minions back amain- that sends Union soldiers crying for their mommies
Arise in majesty again- be great yet again

 

[Ahsoka]

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

 

[Nina]

minions

 

[velvet]

I will always find the confederacy so fascinating, not because of their lack of morals, but because of how they portrayed them, what tricks they used to get people on their side and how the movement is still (unfortunately) alive today. I read this essay about how historical textbooks in the South AND North were basically white-washed to contribute to the lost cause myth and how that was so impactful to keeping the confederacy alive: by misinforming people.

 

[Ahsoka]

I will always find the confederacy so fascinating, not because of their lack of morals, but because of how they portrayed them, what tricks they used to get people on their side and how the movement is still (unfortunately) alive today. I read this essay about how historical textbooks in the South AND North were basically white-washed to contribute to the lost cause myth and how that was so impactful to keeping the confederacy alive: by misinforming people.

Me too, overall thats the most interesting part of the Civil War for me. The politics before and during the war and the attitudes and propaganda on both sides are just so interesting to learn about. And the songs are an interesting way to see that, especially since lots of songs/tunes were used on both sides with different lyrics.

 

[dark_tranquility]

It is a bit crazy but validated