Alma Mater

While riding in the car with my mother and two children recently I was trying to teach the kids the words to our favorite college team's fight song. You may know it as the War Eagle fight song. And if you were in the Auburn band you know it also as #3. My dad graduated from Auburn also and I grew up singing the fight song. I have edited (as my parents did) the word hell to become yell for the kids to sing.

Auburn has a few other traditional songs that are sung and played at sporting events. Among these are Tiger Rag, Glory (to ole Auburn), and of course the Alma Mater. When I was in the band at Auburn we both played and sang the Alma Mater and I tried to impress them with my memory.

Then my mother did an amazing thing. She sang her high school alma mater from memory. Now, I must say that I graduated from the same high school my mother did and I could not remember a word, I couldn't even sing along. Is it that the college song replaced the high school one in my memory or that my mother has a better memory?

This reminds me that a few years ago my father ran into an old college roomate at church who he had not seen in over 30 years. The amazing thing is that they recognized each other. I am not sure I could tell you some of my old roomates names much less recognize them with 30 years of aging. Wow! They both have amazing memories (although I am not sure my mother would agree about my dad's. Ha!)

This of course has ventured far off the subject. For your learning pleasure here is the Auburn Fight Song.

War Eagle, fly down the field
Ever to conquer, never to yield
War Eagle, fearless and true,
Fight on you orange and blue
Go! Go! Go!
On to vict'ry, strike up the band
Give 'em hell, Give 'em hell
Stand up and yell, Hey!
War Eagle, win for Auburn,
Power of Dixie Land!