"Texas, Our Texas" Original Manuscript and Recordings
The Official Song of the Lone Star State
The Texas Collection is the proud home of the original manuscript for "Texas, Our Texas," written by William J. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright and adopted by the legislature in 1929. The song was written as part of a contest to find the official song for Texas, and the manuscript was donated to The Texas Collection at the request of former Texas Governor (and Baylor University President) Pat Neff.
View a PDF of the entire manuscript here
The lyrics for "Texas, Our Texas" are:
Texas, our Texas! All hail the mighty State!
Texas, our Texas! So wonderful so great!
Boldest and grandest, Withstanding ev'ry test;
O Empire wide and glorious, You stand supremely blest.
[Refrain] God bless you Texas! And keep you brave and strong,
That you may grow in power and worth, Thro'out the ages long.
Texas, O Texas! Your freeborn single star,
Sends out its radiance to nations near and far.
Emblem of freedom! It sets our hearts aglow,
With thoughts of San Jacinto and glorious Alamo.
[Refrain]
Texas, dear Texas! From tyrant grip now free,
Shines forth in splendor your star of destiny!
Mother of heroes! We come your children true,
Proclaiming our allegiance, our faith, our love for you.
[Refrain]
(Source: Texas State Library and Archives Commission website)
Recordings by Baylor Sophomore Annie LeDonne
After a connection was made through Baylor School of Music faculty member Dr. Horace Maxile, we worked with sophomore Performance major Annie LeDonne to record two versions of "Texas, Our Texas" using the original manuscript. One was recorded at 87 beats per minute (bpm) and the second at a slightly peppier 100 bpm. Click on the links below to hear an MP3 of each version. (File will open in a music player in a new browser window.)