Augustana's search for a musical identity
(This story was written in celebration of Augustana's sesquicentennial in 2010.)
Many contenders come and go before a 'mighty' tune is born
In January 1894, The Alumnus (a publication of the Alumni Association of Augustana College), issued what was to become a familiar call: “Why should not Augustana have a song of its own?” Similar pleas were printed in the Observer for at least the next 30 years. Each time a new call went out for a college song, the songs currently in use were mentioned and debated, and apparently fell short for some reason or other.
E.W. Olson, Class of 1891, was awarded a prize of $5 in 1894 for his song written to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne.” Olson’s song was printed in the 1900 Class Annual (Augustana’s first yearbook) as the School Song.
Another E.W. Olson song was printed in the next yearbook, the Class Annual of 1905, written to the melody of a Swedish song, which began: “Thy name, Augustana, in cheers we extol/And bright burn the fires of our devotion.”
And if that wasn’t rousing enough, an additional song appeared in the 1905 Class Annual to the melody of “Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching,” which started: “Augustana on the hill!/Sing her praises with a will!” with a chorus of: “Hip, hip, hip, hurrah for yellow!/Hip, hip, hip, hurrah for blue!/They're the colors of the sky,/Of the sun and stars on high.”
The Observer stirs things up
The 1910 Jubilee album published in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Augustana College and Theological Seminary reprinted the same three college songs as the 1905 Class Annual, and all seemed well on the college song front until Oct. 21, 1921, when the Observer published five college songs. These five college songs, however, did not include the three noted above. At least eight college songs had been printed by the time the Observer called for even more spirit in 1922, stating:
Augustana has good songs and yells, but there are many who deplore the fact that there are not more of them. Naturally, we desire more cheers and melodies…Augie never rejects a good yell or snappy song…” (Nov. 23, 1922)
In January 1923, the Observer again called for new songs, noting that one existing song was “set to too hard a score for the musically impoverished,” another was “not original,” and a third “savors of Civil War days and is therefore offensive to the South.”
Albert Olsson’s “Victory Song” was published in the fall of 1923, with the Observer exclaiming “Augustana will at last have a song which it can really call its own” (Nov. 2, 1923).
Not all were in agreement a year later, though, when the Observer reported that the Student’s Union was set choose the official college song, deliberating between Olsson’s “Victory Song” and the “Blue and Gold.” One week later, the paper reported that the Student’s Union failed to designate an official song, leaving the decision “until both songs had been tried on the football field with band accompaniment.” The same issue carried an editorial imploring the student body to learn all the Augustana songs, stating that they “are as essential a part of college life and education as are the daily lessons” (Sept. 25, 1924).
A never-ending contest
An appeal was again made in January 1927 to compose a song “which will have an especial appeal to the student generations and be expressive of the spirit of Augustana.” A contest was announced to solicit original songs with a Viking theme, and award $25 to the winner. The Observer stated that this was “the first contest of its kind ever held at Augustana,” apparently unaware of the 1894 contest for a school song. Front-page articles about the song contest ran for three months until Regina Holmen ’22 was named as the winner in April 1927, for her composition “The Song of the Vikings.”
“The Song of the Vikings” must not have caught on, because only six months later the Observer editorial stated that “Augustana students have a good assortment of school and pep songs and yet there seems to be some question as to which one shall be considered the official school song…The suggestion has been made that either the Viking or the Victory song be selected as an official school song.” (October 13, 1927)
January 1929 saw another contest for the school song, with another $25 prize to be awarded, noting that a similar contest was held “several” years ago — though that contest was a mere two years prior. In late March 1929, $15 was awarded to Alfield Johnson for the best pep song, without a title or lyrics in the article. Curiously enough, the Observer reported in May 1934 that the “Victory Song has been the official college song at Augustana since 1923 at which time it was published in sheet music form.” However, 1936 saw another plea for a school song, this time an “Alma Mater” song. Paul Finnman’s “Alma Mater” was first printed in the Observer in May 1937, with a call to make it the official alma mater song of Augustana, which it remains to this day.
Yet the most enduring and popular Augustana song was the result of a contest other than the Observer’s repeated badgering. In the 1940s, members of the Beta Omega Sigma fraternity altered the Rock Island High School song, “By the Mighty Mississippi” for their entry in the Augustana Homecoming Sing competition. “By the Mighty Mississippi” was written by Jack Rasley, a Rock Island high school student, who graduated from Rocky in 1930. Augustana’s version has endured as the official school song partly because of the choir’s tradition of singing the song after each performance. The locally beloved song was altered once again in 1995 when the City of Rock Island passed a resolution to make it the official song of the city.
— Jamie Nelson
Special Collections Librarian
Augustana College Prize Song
E.W. Olson, 1894
Shall old acquaintance be forgot.
And Mem'ry's garland fade?
Nay, deck anew the hallowed spot,
Where hearts their homage paid!
Chorus
Let carols ring from hall to hall,
Nor let their ardor fail!
Sing Augustana's praises all!
Shout Augustana's Hail!
She stands, a lofty beacon bright,
Firm founded on the hill;
How far we sail, her glorious light
Shall guide the sailors still.
Chorus
A mighty fortress 'mid the trees,
She towers bold and true,
Unfolding proudly to the breeze
Her colors, gold and blue.
Chorus
A College Song
C.J. Södergren, 1904
Melody, "Tramp, tramp, tramp, the boys are marching."
Augustana on the hill!
Sing her praises with a will!
Let her never want for loyal hearts and true.
Hoist her banner to the breeze,
Float her colors on the seas,
Let the earth salute the yellow and the blue!
Chorus
Hip, hip, hip, hurrah for yellow!
Hip, hip, hip, hurrah for blue!
They're the colors of the sky,
Of the sun and stars on high,
They're the colors that are dear to me and you.
College life is passing by,
And the time is drawing nigh
When we bid farewell to our dear college home;
But the scenes around the hill
And the memories, lingering still,
Shall be with us in our hearts where'er we roam.
Chorus
When our locks are turning gray,
And the labors of the day
Shall be over, and the shadows growing long,
Still we'll lift our failing eyes
To the banner in the skies
And with brow uncovered sing the College Song
Chorus
Thy name, Augustana, in cheers we extol
E.W. Olson, 1905
Melody, "Du gamla, du friska."
Thy name, Augustana, in cheers we extol,
And bright burn the fires of our devotion.
The sound of our homage in echoes shall roll
O'er hills and plains from ocean unto ocean.
Thy sons and thy daughters, wherever they roam,
Shall turn from thy loving guidance never,
But walk in the light of thy radiant dome,
And cherish thee in loyal hearts forever.
Blue and Gold
1921
Hail Augustana, your praises we sing,
You'll always lead the way.
Hail Augustana, homage we bring,
You're in our hearts to stay.
Hail Alma Mater, we pledge heart and hand
To your colors to-day as of old.
We'll back you to stand 'gainst the best in the land,
All hail to the Blue and Gold.
Football Chorus
Augie, old Augie, smash through that line,
We've got to win to-day.
Augie, old Augie, touchdown this time,
Show them we know the way.
Augie, old Augie, we pledge heart and hand
To your colors to-day as of old.
We'll back you to stand 'gainst the best in the land;
So fight for the Blue and Gold.
Basketball Chorus
Augie, old Augie, pass th’ ball down the floor
We’ve got to win to-day.
Augie, old Augie, pile up the score,
Show them we know the way.
Augie, old Augie, we pledge heart and hand
To your colors to-day as of old.
We’ll back you to stand ‘gainst the best in the land,
So fight for the Blue and Gold.
On, Dear Augie
1921
On, dear Augie, on, dear Augie,
March right down that line.
Roll the ball around those fellows,
Touchdown every time.
Rah, rah, rah,
On, dear Augie, on, dear Augie,
We must keep our name,
Fight, fellows, fight, fight, fight,
We’ll win this game.
Augie Will Shine
1921
Augie will shine to-night,
Augie will shine,
Augie will shine to-night,
Augie will shine;
Augie will shine to-night,
Augie will shine,
When the sun goes down,
When the moon comes up,
Augie will shine.
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp/Augustana Marching Song
1921
Tramp, tramp, tramp, we march along,
With voices strong, we'll sing a song:
For Augie dear, boys,
The team that never fails,
That never fails,
With all our strength and all our might
We're going to more than fight,
We're going to win for Augie,
Win for Augie, win for Augie dear.
Rah, Rah, Rah
1921
Rah, rah, rah, for Augustana,
Rah, rah, rah, for Blue and Gold,
They're the colors of the sky,
And the sun and stars on high,
They're the colors that are dear to you and me.
Augie, On the Hill
1923
May be referring to “A College Song” by C.J. Södergren
Victory Song
Albert L. Olson, 1923
All hail to you, Augustana
All hail to the Gold and Blue,
Our heroes we cheer to victory
As they fight for our colours true.
To our strength we know our foes will yield
As the team charges down the field,
For the grand old school upon the hill,
A-fighting for the Gold and Blue.
We’re strong for you, Augustana
Your sons and your daughters too,
Your spirit will guide us on our way
Alma Mater our beacon ray.
As freemen for the right we’ll always stand
For the best college in the land,
For the grand old school upon the hill,
Augustana and the Gold and Blue
Augie Pep Song (1925)
1925
No lyrics; mentioned in 1925 Observer
Song of the Vikings
Augustana Concert Band, 1927
Sung to tune of "Song of the Vagabonds," from "The Vagabond King.''
Sons of Augustana.
Fight for Augustana!
Fight every foe of Blue and Gold!
Fight for Augustana!
Win for Augustana!
Win for your colors, Blue and Gold.
Blue and Gold must fly above the rest.
Augustana will always be the best.
Fight for Augustana!
Good old Augustana!
Die, if you must, for Blue and Gold!
The Song of the Vikings/Viking Song
Regina Holmen, 1927
Here’s to the Vikings, Sons of Augustana!
Here’s to their courage, strength to dare and do!
Here’s to the zeal that wins, tho’ the foe be mighty!
Here’s to the love that binds their hearts to Gold and Blue!
Vikings! On, then, to the fight with all might, and you’ll conquer,
You are Vikings true!
Augie Pep Song (1929)
Alfied Johnson, 1929
Contest winner; no lyrics printed in Observer
Alma Mater
Paul Finnman, 1937
Oh, dear old Alma Mater,
The Gold and Blue we love,
For halls revered.
And friends secured,
We thank our God above.
We'll win for Augustana,
To her we'll e'er be true.
Her name we'll praise,
Through all our days.
Old Augie, we love you!
By the Mighty Mississippi
Jack Rasley, ca. 1930s, BOS 1940s
By the Mighty Mississippi, on a rocky shore—
Stands the school we love so dearly, now and evermore.
refrain
Augustana, Augustana, we thy children as of old
Sing thy praise in song unending to old Augie’s blue and gold.
Tho’ the future years may part us, still together now—
Faith and love to Augustana evermore we vow.
refrain