The 'Aggie War Hymn' might be in need of editing

COLLEGE STATION — What do you do when your college fight song is all about fighting a football team you no longer fight?

That's an active question right now on the campus of Texas A&M and one of the odder bits of fallout from the university's move to its new conference, the SEC. It's a pretty big deal at a school so steeped in tradition that frankly I'm a little nervous writing about it, for fear of being maroon-shamed.

And that's why I find myself in the office of John Claybrook, the student body president. That's right: office. Kid has an office, and a nameplate. And a file drawer, from which he quickly pulls a copy of the lyrics to the "Aggie War Hymn."

It begins "Good bye to texas university/So long to the orange and the white," and then takes a few swipes at the University of Texas. The stanza is then repeated. The song ends with repetitions of "Saw varsity's horns off" and "Varsity's horns are sawed off. Short! A!"

The Fighting Texas Aggie Band probably won't have to learn a new tune, but the lyrics to the school song might need an update. Or not. The Fighting Texas Aggie Band probably won't have to learn a new tune, but the lyrics to the school song might need an update. Or not. Photo: Nick De La Torre Photo: Nick De La Torre Image 1 of / 21 Caption Close The 'Aggie War Hymn' might be in need of editing 1 / 21 Back to Gallery

So that's a little problematic.

Of course they could just leave the song the way it is. Technically, the schools could still meet in, say, the Cotton Bowl. "The campus is really pretty split," says Claybrook, though he points out that this is a difference of opinion, not a controversy.

Another option is to restore a long-ignored first stanza that doesn't mention UT.

The hymn was written during the First World War by J.V. "Pinky" Wilson and adopted in 1920. The first stanza was added in 1928 but later dropped as "too Ivy League," Claybrook says.

The administration and alumni have agreed to let the students decide, though a format for making that decision hasn't been determined yet.

"One of the things that makes the A&M experience so great is that we're given the opportunity to make big choices," Claybrook says.

If you didn't go to A&M, this might not sound like a hot topic, but it is. "This was an all-male military school until the '60s, and its agricultural and military roots still remain," Claybrook says. "It directly plays out in the way we value tradition."

You just have to understand. "When I sing the 'War Hymn,' the emotions that rise in me are not to beat the hell out of Texas. It is sung out of affinity for my school," he says.

"When I get to 'Saw varsity's horns off,' I'm not thinking ahead to the Texas game. I'm thinking, man, this is an amazing family to belong to. It means family to me."

kyrie.oconnor@chron.com