It finally happened in 2021. After decades of heated floor debates, angry letters to editors, and literal generations of Marylanders feeling a bit awkward at graduation ceremonies, Governor Larry Hogan signed the bill that officially repealed Maryland, My Maryland as the state song.
It’s gone. Poof. Maryland currently has no official state song.
If you grew up in the "Old Line State," you probably remember the tune. It’s set to O Tannenbaum. Yeah, the Christmas tree song. But the lyrics? Those were anything but festive. We’re talking about a poem written by James Ryder Randall in 1861 that calls Abraham Lincoln a "tyrant," a "vandal," and a "despot." It’s a fiery, pro-Confederate call to arms that survived for 82 years as the state’s official anthem.
Honestly, it’s wild that it lasted as long as it did.
Why Maryland, My Maryland Stayed So Long
Most people assume the song was some ancient relic from the 1700s, but it actually popped up right at the start of the Civil War. Randall, a native Marylander living in Louisiana, heard that his friend had been killed during a riot in Baltimore. This wasn’t just any riot; it was the Pratt Street Riot of April 1861, where Southern sympathizers attacked Union troops.
Randall was furious. He sat down and hammered out nine stanzas of pure adrenaline and resentment.
The song basically begs Maryland to secede from the Union. When Randall writes "The despot's heel is on thy shore," he isn’t talking about a foreign invader. He's talking about the United States government. He refers to Northern troops as "Northern scum." It’s heavy stuff. Yet, by 1939, the Maryland General Assembly decided this was the perfect song to represent the state.
🔗 Read more: Elecciones en Honduras 2025: ¿Quién va ganando realmente según los últimos datos?
Why 1939? You’ve gotta look at the "Lost Cause" movement. During the early 20th century, there was a massive push to romanticize the Confederacy and downplay the role of slavery in the Civil War. Adopting Maryland, My Maryland wasn’t an accident. It was a statement about identity.
The Lyrics Nobody Actually Sang
If you ever attended a Preakness Stakes or a high school football game in Annapolis, you probably only heard the first verse. Most people hummed along to the melody and didn't think twice about the words. But once you actually read the full text, things get uncomfortable fast.
The poem references "Sic Semper," a nod to the Virginia state motto (and eventually the words shouted by John Wilkes Booth). It calls for Maryland to "spurn the Northern scum." It even mentions "Patriot's blood," which sounds noble until you realize the "patriots" in this context were the ones trying to dismantle the Union.
Historians like Edward Papenfuse, the former Maryland State Archivist, have spent years pointing out that the song represents a very specific, very violent moment in history. It doesn't represent the Maryland of the 21st century—a state that is among the most diverse in the nation.
There were dozens of attempts to change it. People suggested keeping the tune but swapping the lyrics for something about crabs, the Chesapeake Bay, or the rolling hills of Western Maryland. Some suggested "Maryland, My Maryland" but with a "cleaned up" version of Randall's poem. None of those compromises ever stuck.
The debate usually fell into two camps. You had the traditionalists who argued that "you can't erase history" and that the song was a "martial air" representing a complex time. Then you had the reformers who argued that a state song should be something everyone can sing without feeling like they’re supporting an insurrection.
💡 You might also like: Trump Approval Rating State Map: Why the Red-Blue Divide is Moving
The Turning Point of 2020
The tide finally turned during the social justice protests of 2020. Across the country, monuments were coming down and symbols were being re-evaluated. In Maryland, the conversation moved fast.
The Maryland House of Delegates voted 121-10 to repeal the song. The Senate followed suit with a 48-1 vote. It wasn’t even close. By the time it hit the Governor’s desk, the momentum was unstoppable.
The repeal didn't just remove the song; it stripped it of its legal status entirely. It wasn't replaced by a new song. The state essentially decided that having no song was better than having a song that actively insulted a large portion of its citizenry.
What’s Next for Maryland’s Musical Identity?
So, what do we sing now?
There have been plenty of suggestions. Some people want De Maryland, a song from the 1800s that is much more lighthearted. Others have suggested Victory Song, which many University of Maryland fans already know by heart. There’s even been a push to just adopt The Star-Spangled Banner, since Francis Scott Key wrote it in Baltimore harbor.
But for now, there is a vacuum.
📖 Related: Ukraine War Map May 2025: Why the Frontlines Aren't Moving Like You Think
If you’re a teacher or a local event organizer, you’re basically in the Wild West. You can choose a song that feels right for your community, but you won't find an "official" state anthem in the Maryland Code anymore.
Maryland, My Maryland is officially a museum piece. It’s a primary source document for historians to study, not a song for children to sing in music class.
How to Handle the Change
If you're researching this for a school project or just curious about Maryland history, here’s the best way to approach the topic without getting bogged down in the politics of it:
- Read the full poem. Don't just look at the first verse. Read all nine. It gives you a much better sense of why the controversy existed in the first place.
- Visit the Maryland State Archives. They have incredible digital collections detailing the 1939 decision and the subsequent decades of protest.
- Listen to different versions. If you can find a recording of the song played by a Civil War-era brass band, it sounds completely different than the slow, somber version played at state functions. It was meant to be a fight song.
- Explore the alternatives. Look up songs like Maryland, My Maryland (the version by the legendary jazz musician Charlie Byrd) or even the modern folk songs written about the Chesapeake.
The story of the song is really the story of Maryland itself: a "middle" state that has always been torn between North and South, tradition and progress. We're a state that was technically in the Union but had deep Southern sympathies. We're a state that saw the first blood of the Civil War and the signing of the repeal of one of its most divisive symbols.
Basically, the "song-less" status of Maryland is a reflection of a state that is still figuring out how to tell its own story. It's better to have a blank page than a page filled with insults from 1861.
To understand the current state of Maryland's cultural symbols, you should check out the official Maryland State House website for updates on any new legislative sessions regarding a replacement song. You can also visit the Maryland Historical Trust to see how other symbols, like the state flag (which is still very much loved), carry their own complex histories. If you're looking for a song to play at an event, consider using "The Star-Spangled Banner" or "Maryland, My Maryland" by the University of Maryland Marching Band—just remember, the latter is now a piece of history, not a state mandate.