Next on my state song expedition is the region of the Midwestern states.
A couple of notes:
- I got the most of the songs from internet research, and we all know how reliable that can be (not!). So, if you find anything that's incorrect, let me know.
- Some songs were easy to find. Some were not. Some I had to notate myself after listening to an old recording.
- Some states have more than one state song, and since they weren't folk songs, I had to pay attention to copyright dates. (According to United States copyright law, the only copyrighted songs that are now "public domain" are those published before 1923.) However, even that wasn't easy to figure out. I couldn't find a copyright on some songs - and I found out that some songs' composers waived the copyright (otherwise, every time someone sings the state song in a non-school or non-church setting, they must pay a royalty!).
- Most of the songs had tons of verses, so I just chose a couple in each case. If you need more verses, they are all findable on the internet.
- Check out my other post in this series:
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KANSAS
Home on the Range (state song)
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ILLINOIS
Illinois Song (state song)
El-A-Noy
Goin' Down to Cairo
The Plains of Illinois
The Plains of Illinois
Rock Island Line
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INDIANA
On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away (state song) - sheet music
Back Home Again in Indiana (My husband, an Indy 500 fan, insisted I include this one. Apparently, it is sung before each annual race and seems to be more widely used to represent the state than the state song is.)
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IOWA
Iowa State Song
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OHIO
Beautiful Ohio (state song) - sheet music
Boatman Dance
Down the River
Shout, Little Lulu
Two in the Middle
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MICHIGAN
Michigan, My Michigan (not the official state song, but is more popular than the state song, which has a copyright)
A-Lumbering We Go
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MINNESOTA
Hail! Minnesota (state song)
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MISSOURI
Missouri Waltz (state song) - sheet music
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NEBRASKA
Beautiful Nebraska (state song) - has a copyright, but is posted on the Nebraska State Government page.
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NORTH DAKOTA
North Dakota Hymn (state song) - has a copyright, but is posted on the North Dakota State Government page.
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SOUTH DAKOTA
Hail! South Dakota! (state song) - has a copyright.
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WISCONSIN
On Wisconsin (state song)
Away to Wisconsin
Banks of the Little Eau Pleine
MILK Chant
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Other Songs
City Blues
