Op-Ed: Offensive Florida State Song Revamped

Out with a song has offensive racial phrasing and dialect and in with a new and improved watered down version of the same song. OK a song may not be at the top of the list to rant over, but for today I have picked this topic as my own pet rant.

Take a gander at the original song lyrics that were adopted as the Florida state song in 1935 and written by Stephen C. Foster : "Old Folks at Home" Way down upon de Swanee Ribber,

Far, far away,

Dere’s wha my heart is turning ebber,

Dere’s wha de old folks stay.

All up and down de whole creation,

Sadly I roam,

Still longing for de old plantation,

And for de old folks at home. Chorus: All de world am sad and dreary,

Ebry where I roam,

Oh! darkeys, how my heart grows weary,

Far from de old folks at home.

All round de little farm I wandered

When I was young,

Den many happy days I squandered,

Many de songs I sung.

When I was playing wid my brudder

Happy was I

Oh! take me to my kind old mudder,

Dere let me live and die.

One little hut among de bushes,

One dat I love,

Still sadly to my mem’ry rushes,

No matter where I rove

When will I see de bees a humming

All round de comb

When will I hear de banjo tumming

Down in my good old home? This is what has been adopted as the new song for Florida, which by the way is also known as the Sunshine State, by our illustrious state officials? Now take a look at the new revised version of the old song: Way down upon the Suwannee River,

Far, far away,

There’s where my heart is turning ever,

There’s where the old folks stay.

All up and down the whole creation,

Sadly I roam,

Still longing for my childhood’s station,

And for the old folks at home. Chorus: All the world is sad and dreary

Everywhere I roam.

O dear ones, how my heart grows weary,

Far from the old folks at home.

All ‘round the little farm I wander’d,

When I was young;

Then many happy days I squander’d,

Many the songs I sung.

When I was playing with my brother,

Happy was I.

Oh, take me to my kind old mother,

There let me live and die.

One little hut among the bushes,

One that I love.

Still sadly to my memory rushes,

No matter where I rove.

When will I see the bees a humming,

All ‘round the comb?

When shall I hear the banjo strumming,

Down in my good old home. This dreary version after Floridians were invited to submit entries for a new state song in a “Just Sing, Florida!”, the search for a new state song? (In an attempt to have an updated song that was voted for by the people to submit as a possible replacement.) Now here is the words to the song that won the contest, written by Jan Hinton but will not be used as the state officials can't seem bear getting rid of the old one: "Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky" Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky.

Florida, where our hearts will ever lie.

Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,

Always shielding your own, yet giving welcome.

Florida.

Mocking birds cry and 'gators lie out in the sun.

Bridges span southward to the Keys and rockets skyward run.

The orange blossoms' sweet perfume and fireworks fill the air.

And cultures rich, our native people share.

Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky.

Florida, where our heats will ever lie She manages to get in the gators, sunshine, rockets, orange blossoms and beaches (by way of mentioning the ocean) in a rather short song and an in my opinion overall vast improvement over the original song that we are still stuck with in it's revised state. So speak up all and lets here your opinions.