The MSU Fight Song is the official fight song of Michigan State University, USA. MSU's fight song was created in early 1915 (and copyrighted in 1919), when MSU was known as Michigan Agricultural College (M.A.C.). An MSU cheerleader, Francis Irving Lankey, along with lyricist Arthur Sayles,[1] created the song by combining original lyrics with the melody from an early 20th-century hymn called "Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus".[2] With several changes noted below, the school has used the same song ever since. The MSU Fight Song is played at all university sporting events and is frequently sung by students and alumni.
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Lankey's original lyrics reflected the school's role as an agricultural college. The lyrics have since been changed several times. The lyrics had to be modified when the school changed its mascot from the Aggies to the Spartans. In addition, whereas the original lyrics referred specifically to an American football game against the University of Michigan ("line of blue" refers to the Wolverine defensive line), the modern lyrics can be used for any opponent in any sport (although many hockey fans like to change the word "ball" to "hockey"). Below is a side-by-side comparison of the original lyrics and the modern-day equivalent.
| Current MSU lyrics | Original M.A.C. lyrics |
|---|---|
| On the banks of the Red Cedar, There's a school that's known to all; Its specialty is winning, And those Spartans play good ball; Spartan teams are never beaten, All through the game they fight; Fight for the only colors: Green and White. Go right through for MSU, |
On the banks of the Red Cedar, There's a school that's known to all; Its specialty is farming, And those farmers play football; Aggie teams are never beaten, All through the game they'll fight; Fight for the only colors: Green and White. Smash right through that line of blue, |
These two lines are often swapped into the modern song for events against Michigan.
Even though the breakstrain[3] is rarely sung, the band still plays it in transition.
Up with the colors,
Unfurl them on high (Green!)
Up with the colors
Unfurl them on high (White!)
Up with the colors
Unfurl them on high
Fight! Fight! Rah Team Fight!
Two arrangements of the fight song are played.
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