Next on my state song expedition is the region of the Western 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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CALIFORNIA
I Love You, California (state song)
Banks of Sacramento
California
Oh California
Clementine
Sacramento
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COLORADO
Where the Columbines Grow (state song)
Colorado Trail
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IDAHO
Here We Have Idaho (state song)
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MONTANA
Montana (state song)
Goodbye Old Paint
My Home's in Montana
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NEVADA
Home Means Nevada (state song) - I saw it was composed in 1932 (after the copyright deadline), so I almost didn't post it. Then, I saw the score posted on the Nevada Dept. of Tourism website... so I guess the copyright is not still valid.
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OREGON
Oregon, My Oregon - (state song) sheet music
Sweet Betsy from Pike
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UTAH
Utah, We Love Thee (state hymn)
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WASHINGTON
Washington, My Home - (state song) - I'm not sure of the copyright, but I found the score on the Washington University website here, so I guess it's public domain.
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WYOMING
OK, I'm admitting defeat on this one. Here are the lyrics. And here is a clip of the song (without lyrics). They don't seem to gel. So, I can't figure out how to notate it.
Git Along, Little Dogies
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Other Songs from the West
Little Old Sod Shanty
Old Settler's Song
Starving to Death on a Government Claim
To the West
