My take on the Maryland State Song

I think that a lot of people forget, or would like to forget about Maryland's place in the nation's history. Maryland is a southern state that didn't secede, but Maryland was not treated well by the north, especially during the war. Unfortunately, the south showed little sympathy for Maryland either, although I think that Maryland's treatment by the union was far worse, but that could just be because the Confederate army was pushed to the south in the later part of the war.

I've read some of the interviews and comments that have been given by the Maryland lawmakers that sponsor and support the bill to change the lyrics, and I don't really like their reasons. They seem to want to deny the history of our state, deny that the union marched an army on Baltimore! I like the current state song, it is historic, I even recall learning it (at least a few verses) when I was in elementary school. If the people supporting this bill would just have kept their extra reasons to themselves, I'd be a lot happier.

That being said, I totally like the proposed lyrics also. I like that it was written in Maryland by a Marylander, from Frederick County no less, the same place as Francis Scott Key. The words would definitely be easier to remember, especially for school children.

So, I like both songs, but I don't really know what I would do about this. I'd create two state songs. The original, and title it the historic state song, and the proposed, and simply call it the state song.