Maryland, My Maryland

Common card · No. 373712

"Maryland, My Maryland" is the former state song of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1939 until 2021. The lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall in 1861 and sung to an old German folk melody, "Lauriger Horatius" — the same tune used for "O Tannenbaum". The state's general assembly adopted "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song on April 29, 1939. The song's words refer to Maryland's history and geography, specifically mentioning several historical figures of importance to the state. Written at the beginning of the Civil War, it was used across the Confederacy as a battle hymn. It has been called America's "most martial poem". Because of its origin in reaction to the Baltimore riot of 1861 and Randall's support for the Confederate States, it includes lyrics that refer to President Abraham Lincoln as "the tyrant", "the despot", and "the Vandal", and to the Union as "Northern scum". It also mentions Virginia as an ally and includes that state's official motto "Sic...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Original published by Miller & Beacham in Baltimore in 1861. In en.wikipedia, Geraldk., Public domain