"Texans sing English beginning 87 years ago, 23 May 1929. " Topic

87 years ago, on 23 May, 1929, Texas Governor Dan Moody signed the bill making "Texas, our Texas" the official state song. But, it took an Englishman to make it happen.

William J. Marsh, an Englishman who moved to Fort Worth in1904 and was employed as the organist of the First Presbyterian Church, wrote the song for a contest held in 1924. His entry, with words co-written by Gladys Yoakam Wright, was judged the best out of 286 submitted from around the state.

So, chin up, Texans, and honour Marsh by belting out "Texas, our Texas" while belting down a few beers.

A rebuttal from an instructor at Texas State University:

During one class, his mood suddenly darkened when he queued up a particular song. His brow furrowed and disappointment filled his blue eyes as an unfamiliar marching tune boomed through the speakers. It was a sharp departure from what we'd been listening to: there was nothing of the gritty West Texas wind in it, no pain of the blues, no swagger of the cowboy. Instead, the song was self-important and vacuous, a brassy alma mater affair. The words were a sugary concoction of obtuse patriotic sentiment and rubber-wristed backslapping, a mouthful of cotton candy.

"Texas has all this great music, and this is our state song?" Kent said. He shook his head. "Texas deserves better."

Full story from Texas Monthly here: link

Yeah, always thought the "Ballad of the Alamo" should be the Texas song:

"In the southern part of Texas,
Near the town of San Antone,
There's a fortress all in ruins that the weeds have overgrown
You may look in vain for crosses and you'll never see a-one
But sometimes between the setting and the rising of the sun You can hear a ghostly bugle
As the men go marching by
You can hear them as they answer
To that roll call in the sky."

Shivers. Every time.

Yeah, It's a John Wayne thing. Great movie too!