Glory, Glory (fight song)

Glory, Glory is the rally song for the Georgia Bulldogs, the athletics teams for the University of Georgia. Glory, Glory is sung to the tune of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and was sung at football games as early as the 1890s. The fight song was arranged after the Union marching song in its current form by Hugh Hodgson in 1915.

Although generally thought to be the school's fight song, the official fight song is "Hail to Georgia".

Lyrics and uses

The fight song is played after touchdowns, field goals, and extra points scored by the football team. Georgia fans often replace the "G-E-O-R-G-I-A" phrase with a disparaging comment about a rival or a particular school that the Bulldogs happen to be playing at the time. During games versus South Carolina, they can be heard singing, "And To Hell with USC." One of the most popular alternate lines is "And to heck with Georgia Tech!"[1]

Auburn University and Auburn High School play "Glory, Glory, to Ole Auburn" after extra points. Their version is exactly the same as that of Georgia, except the name "Auburn" is both said and spelled in both schools' version, and the "A" in Auburn takes place of "G" and "E" in Georgia. In other words, Auburn's version has the same meter as the refrain to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", whereas Georgia's version adds an extra syllable for the "E".

Auburn's version is in a different key, and played slower than Georgia's version.

The Battle Hymn of the Bulldog Nation

A slower-played version, using a much more complete melody of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is played before the start of each home football game on campus at Sanford Stadium. A trumpet-playing member of the Georgia Redcoat Marching Band takes a position in the upper deck of the south side stands, near the west endzone, and reverently plays the first seven notes of the Battle Hymn to a cheering crowd, while an historical video montage of the football team's greatest moments is displayed on monitors all around the stadium. The rest of the band on the field then finishes the first stanza and the song, which is referred to as "The Battle Hymn of the Bulldog Nation" by famous former Georgia play-by-play announcer Larry Munson. During the solo, the Bulldog fans in Sanford Stadium rise to their feet, take off their hats, and point them in the direction of the soloist as a sign of respect. This tradition was added following the internet publication of a tribute to UGA football entitled "Seven Notes On A Trumpet"[2] penned by an unnamed fan of UGA, originally posted on a UGA sports-related internet message board called the Dawg Vent. This is one of the most hallowed traditions of Georgia Bulldog football. The music for the slow Battle Hymn was arranged by UGA student arranger Jeff Simmons in 1987 and has become the Redcoat Band's signature piece.

References

  1. ↑ "Bulldog Spirit Songs". The Anti-Orange Page. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
  2. ↑ "Seven Notes on a Trumpet".

Sources