The Oil Thigh is the name given to the anthem and fight song of Queen's University and its sports teams, the Queen's Gaels. Although the song's official title is Queen's College Colours, it is almost universally referred to by the first words of the Gaelic chorus.
Contents |
Oilthigh ([ˈɤlhɪ]) is the Scottish Gaelic for "university", from oil "educate, rear", which is from Old Irish ail- and taigh "house" (older spelling tigh) plus lenition.[1] It is usually spelt as a single word in modern orthography[2].
The chorus was originally written in 1891[3] as part of a longer Gaelic warcry, by three Gaelic-speaking students: Donald Cameron, F.A. McRae, and another called MacLean, whose first name is not known. The rest of the song was written in 1898 by a student, Alfred Lavell, with the title and The Queen's College Colours after a disappointing loss to the University of Toronto in order to inspire the team.[3] Currently, however, the second, third and fourth verses are rarely sung. In 1985 the original "Boys, go in and win" was changed to "Gaels, go in and win" to make the text gender neutral.[3]
The song is often heard sung by students and alumni when the home team scores a point, goal, touchdown, etc. and at other school events. It is usually sung while forming a chain by linking arms behind each other's backs and performing a low-kicking can-can. The 1892 version uses the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic/John Brown's Body.[3]
Additional stanzas that have fallen out of popular use made reference to historic victories over Yale University, rival McGill University, and the University of Toronto.
1
Chorus
Translation
2
3
4
5