BuffettNews.com

A movement is afoot in the Florida Legislature this year to change the state song, "The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)," written in 1851 by Pennsylvanian Stephen C. Foster.

Seems that someone finally realized the song's lyrics refer nostalgically to "darkeys" on the "old plantation." Gee, do you think it might be time for an update? If so, where do we go from here?

The answer is one artist and one only. But that depends on whether Floridians -- read that "state legislators" -- can stop taking themselves and this state so seriously.

Let's consider the choices, which are pretty narrow. Few songs mention Florida more than just incidentally. Take the Beach Boys' hit from the 1980s, "Kokomo," which declares, "Off the Florida Keys, there's a place called Kokomo. That's where you wanna go to get away from it all." True, but who wants advice from California boys?

Then there are songs that focus on Florida, but they tend to be less than flattering, such as Eric Clapton's "Mainline Florida," written when he lived in Miami. Clearly, he was thrilled to get out.

What about a Florida artist?

There's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, rock 'n' rollers originally from Gainesville. Or Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Southern rock band revived from a 1977 plane crash. How about country star John Anderson from Apopka? Or Miami's Latina vocalist Gloria Estefan? For the seniors, crooner Pat Boone from Jacksonville is an option. (Is he still alive?)

Little music from any of the above is focused on Florida.

The late folk singer Gamble Rogers told Florida stories, but his ballads aren't very melodic. Stadiums of people singing them might cause the earth to quiver on its axis. And unfortunately, nobody knows who the guy is anymore.

It's back to the obvious: Jimmy Buffett.


The entire article:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/col ... l-news-col

And what is wrong with that? We still have sports teams with Red skins Indians, Braves. We should have a team called the Slaves. We could have a mascot called " watermellomman". Don't yell at me... I am only kidding. There's a team called the "mudhens" Think about that one. Where's Jesse with that name. My Grandmother from the south called people that for years. She knew what that meant. If we are to be P-correct, then we should look at ALL team names. Not just the flavor of the month. Does Jimmy still live in Florida? I thought he moved up the east coast th the Hamptons. Smaybe Jeb Bush could come up with a song that dosen't offend anybody.

If I lived in Florida, I would be writing a letter to the powers that be endorsing Jimmy to write a new state song. Let's see, "Where's the best latitude to be......Only in Florida, you see...." Let's leave the song writing to Jimmy.

That is the last song I would have thought would be the state song for FL. State songs are overrated, as are the state tree, state bird, state flower and other state objects. I am sure that whatever the state chooses to replace this now objectionable song, will be replaced in another 150 years because of something objectionable to the changing morals or demographics.

Or, they could commission JB to write a song....

We Georgians might disagree with state songs being overrated, but then again, our native Georgian Ray Charles didn't sing about FL being on his mind.

Sorry, just had to rub it in.

Floridays???

I don't know.....I'll soon "Have Georgia on my mind!"

Enough of the touchy -feely rewrite of history the song is what it is. It is an era piece please don't change it. I am tired of having people call me a radical or racist if I will not retouch the real history of this great nation, once again it is what it is right or wrong. I am Iowa Hawkeye fan and detest the U of I fighting Illini, But I support them in thier efforts to keep a mascot that gives noble honorage to the American Indians and tribe that lived in that area. BooOO NCAA!! Lets get our "&alls" back and stop this crap.

Jimmy aint even from Florida. Give it to the boys from Jacksonville. Maybe a lil Gimme 3 Steps or how bout THAT SMELL for the state song. Could go many ways.

How about "Who's the Blonde Stranger" Oh I'm sorry that the Fort Lauderdale them song!

Im a native,I'll decide.... Seminole Wind would be a real good choice,or even Swamp Music....but the winner is.....Gator Country,give me sum of dat chomp,chomp!

JJ Grey and Mofro's "Florida" would be my choice. Heard 'em do it live over the weekend during Langerado. One of the many highlights of the fest.

Hmmm... seems others have issues with the Florida state song too..

http://www.petitiononline.com/flor1745/petition.html

SharkOnLand wrote:Hmmm... seems others have issues with the Florida state song too..

http://www.petitiononline.com/flor1745/petition.html

isn't the Florida State song the one at the end of the movie "Sunshine State"?

Stephen C. Foster, one of America's Best-loved musical storytellers, wrote "The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)" in 1851. A memorial center at White Springs honors Foster, who authored about 200 songs during his prolific career.

The Suwannee River flows southerly from the Okeefenokee Swamp in Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico in Florida, topographically slicing the Florida panhandle from the rest of the state.

After Foster wrote "The Swanee River" in 1851, he sold it to famed minstrelman E. P. Christy. Foster is reported to have chosen the "Swanee" because its two-syllable cadence fit nicely into the music he had composed. It could not have been due to a familiarity with the river's Florida section, since Foster never visited the state.

Through House Concurrent Resolution No. 22 in 1935, S. P. Robineau of Miami successfully entered "The Swanee River" as the official state song, replacing "Florida, My Florida," which had been adopted as the State Song in 1913. By 1935 Foster's rightful position as a writer and composer had been established.



The Swanee River
(Old Folks at Home)
Written by Stephen C. Foster


Way down upon de Swanee Ribber,
Far, far away,
Dere's wha my heart is turning ebber,
Dere's wha de old folks stay.
All up and down de whole creation
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for de old plantation,
And for de old folks at home.

Chorus

All de world am sad and dreary,
Eb-rywhere I roam;
Oh, darkeys, how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home!

2nd verse

All round de little farm I wandered
When I was young,
Den many happy days I squandered,
Many de songs I sung.
When I was playing wid my brudder
Happy was I;
Oh, take me to my kind old mudder!
Dere let me live and die.

3rd Verse

One little hut among de bushes,
One dat I love
Still sadly to my memory rushes,
No matter where I rove.
When will I see de bees a-humming
All round de comb?
When will I hear de banjo strumming,
Down in my good old home?

Aw, c'mon guys! You all know what is the real state song of Florida, don'cha?
It begins: "M-I-C-K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E!"...

RinglingRingling wrote:

SharkOnLand wrote:Hmmm... seems others have issues with the Florida state song too..

http://www.petitiononline.com/flor1745/petition.html

isn't the Florida State song the one at the end of the movie "Sunshine State"?

Ok...been a while since I saw that....It was filmed in Fernandina, and all the actors stayed at the hotel I worked at.....It was GREAT fun for 6 weeks!

Just found a picture of me and Tim Hutton the other day....the day he checked out, he jumped over the front desk and had someone take a picture......they mailed them to me later....

It really was a hell of a time!