HB762: State song; designates 'O Virginia' by Pauline and Pauron Wheeler to be adopted.
Whereas, the Commonwealth has no official song because "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," declared the official song of the Commonwealth in 1940, was declared the official song emeritus of the Commonwealth in 1997; and
Whereas, the official song should reference the rich tradition of the Commonwealth and invoke images of the natural and scenic beauty its citizens celebrate; and
Whereas, the Commonwealth requires an official song that can be sung on all occasions with pride and affection; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That "O Virginia," by Pauline and Pauron Wheeler, be designated as the interim official song of the Commonwealth, the words of which are as follows:
O Virginia, O Virginia
A rich and beautiful land
We sing the name.
It's a story about her fame
The year was sixteen-o-seven
Jamestown survived, "Thank Heaven!"
But not before they came ashore
Cape Henry was the door.
On up the river they came
On that old lazy James
Now they remained
’Til Richmond they claimed.
To the First Nation People
We owe our gratitude.
So now we stand from many lands
Joining hand in hand
Chorus:
Where did it start - these United States?
VIRGINIA!
Who is called the "Mother of States?"
VIRGINIA
Who will set the standard for the states?
VIRGINIA
We'll lift our voice for this is our state.
VIRGINIA! O VIRGINIA!
She's rich in the birth
Of the U. S. Presidents
It was Yorktown won for her independence.
To those who fought for our freedom
We salute and honor you
So now we can fulfill God's plan
Spread love to other lands.
Chorus.
She's learned some hard lessons
Even made some confessions
That all mankind should be equal and free.
And so with that formula
Made Doug Wilder Governor
Now we all are one. There's work to be done
More victories to be won.
Chorus.
The Virginia Cardinal sings
In the Shenandoah Valley
And the violets carpeted the alleys.
Wild flowers brighten the forest,
Dogwoods among green leaves
Roses, and honeysuckles
Shed their fragrance in the breeze.
Chorus.
O Virginia's rivers feature
The Rappahannock
The York, the James, and the Potomac
Where the Mockingbirds trill
And Seagulls wheel
What a welcome flight for a tourist night
To encounter such a sight.
Chorus.
Final Chorus:
From Arlington to Roger's Mountain
VIRGINIA!
From the Skyline Drive to the coastal tide
VIRGINIA!
From the Shenandoah to the Eastern Shore
VIRGINIA!
From the Chesapeake Bay to the Blue Ridge way
VIRGINIA! O VIRGINIA!
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 1-510. Official emblems and designations.
The following are hereby designated official emblems and designations of the Commonwealth:
Artisan Center - "Virginia Artisans Center," located in the City of Waynesboro.
Bat - Virginia Big-eared bat (Corynorhinos townsendii virginianus).
Beverage - Milk.
Blue Ridge Folklore State Center - Blue Ridge Institute located in the village of Ferrum.
Boat - "Chesapeake Bay Deadrise."
Cabin Capital of Virginia - Page County.
Coal Miners' Memorial - The Richlands Coal Miners' Memorial located in Tazewell County.
Covered Bridge Capital of the Commonwealth - Patrick County.
Covered Bridge Festival - Virginia Covered Bridge Festival held in Patrick County.
Dog - American Foxhound.
Emergency medical services museum - "To The Rescue," located in the City of Roanoke.
Fish - Brook Trout.
Fleet - Replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, which comprised the Commonwealth's founding fleet that brought the first permanent English settlers to Jamestown in 1607, and which are exhibited at the Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg.
Flower - American Dogwood (Cornus florida).
Folk dance - Square dancing, the American folk dance that traces its ancestry to the English Country Dance and the French Ballroom Dance, and is called, cued, or prompted to the dancers, and includes squares, rounds, clogging, contra, line, the Virginia Reel, and heritage dances.
Fossil - Chesapecten jeffersonius.
Gold mining interpretive center - Monroe Park, located in the County of Fauquier.
Insect - Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio glaucus Linne).
Motor sports museum - "Wood Brothers Racing Museum and Virginia Motor Sports Hall of Fame," located in Patrick County.
Outdoor drama - "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Outdoor Drama," adapted for the stage by Clara Lou Kelly and performed in the Town of Big Stone Gap.
Outdoor drama, historical - "The Long Way Home" based on the life of Mary Draper Ingles, adapted for the stage by Earl Hobson Smith, and performed in the City of Radford.
Shell - Oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica).
Song emeritus - "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia Virginny,"
by James A. Bland, as set out in the House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the
General Assembly of Virginia at the Session of 1940.
Song interim - "O Virginia!" by Pauline and Pauron Wheeler.
Sports hall of fame - "Virginia Sports Hall of Fame," located in the City of Portsmouth.
War memorial museum - "Virginia War Museum," (formerly known as the War Memorial Museum of Virginia), located in the City of Newport News.