View source for Texas Fight

{{Short description|Fight song for the University of Texas}}
"'''Texas Fight'''" is the official [[fight song]] of the [[University of Texas at Austin]] and was written by Colonel Walter S. Hunnicutt in collaboration with James E. King, then director of the Marlin High School Band.<ref name="Longhorn Band">{{cite news | url=http://lhb.music.utexas.edu/history/songs_index.html | title=History of School and Fight Songs | publisher=The University of Texas Longhorn Band | access-date=2007-08-03 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615172507/http://lhb.music.utexas.edu/history/songs_index.html | archive-date=2006-06-15 }}</ref><ref name="MBTF">{{cite news | url=http://mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=1134510296-1497354635&url_channel_id=39&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=39&change_well_id=2 | title=Texas Fight | publisher=MackBrownTexasFootball | access-date=2007-08-03 | archive-date=2007-10-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013154638/http://mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=1134510296-1497354635&url_channel_id=39&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=39&change_well_id=2 | url-status=dead }}</ref>  The words, as finally adopted by the school, were written by [[Burnett Pharr|Burnett “Blondie” Pharr]], the director of the Longhorn Band from 1917 to 1937.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Traditions: 'Texas Fight' |url=https://texassports.com/sports/2013/7/28/traditions_0728134501.aspx |access-date=2023-12-18 |website=University of Texas Athletics |language=en}}</ref>

It is sung to a fast tempo version [[Taps (bugle call)|Taps]], a song played at many [[military]] [[funerals]].<ref name="Longhorn Band"/> "Texas Fight" is played following touchdowns and extra points at University of Texas (UT) [[college football|football games]], other [[Texas Longhorn Athletics|Longhorn]] sports events, as well as on other occasions of celebration.<ref name="Longhorn Band"/><ref name="Montgomery">{{cite news | url=http://www.texas-exes.com/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=5 | title=Texas Fight! | publisher=Montgomery County Texas Exes | access-date=2007-08-03}}</ref> The repeated strain contains portions of "[[The Eyes of Texas]]," the school's [[alma mater]].<ref name="Longhorn Band"/> It is also played at [[Austin-Bergstrom International Airport]] at the top of every hour.<ref name="Longhorn Band"/><ref name="Montgomery"/>

==History and usage==
Hunnicutt wrote "Texas Fight" in response to the song used by their longtime rivals, [[Texas A&M University]]. One of the Aggie songs then was [[Farmers Fight]], which consisted of the words "Farmers Fight" sung to [[Taps (bugle call)|Taps]], a song played at many [[military]] [[funerals]]. Impressed by the song, Hunnicutt figured he would write "Texas Fight" also sung to Taps, but making the song more march-like and having "Texas" throughout instead of "Farmers."<ref name="Longhorn Band"/> In a letter written in 1952 by Colonel Hunnicutt, he says "I wrote 'Texas Fight'... in an attempt to counteract the songs and yells of the Texas Aggies, which were not too complimentary to our Student Body and some of which tended to ridicule 'The Eyes of Texas'."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lhb.music.utexas.edu/history/songs.php|title=History of School and Fight Songs|publisher=University of Texas Longhorn Band|access-date=2008-01-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080324014002/http://lhb.music.utexas.edu/history/songs.php|archive-date=2008-03-24}}</ref>

The words of the song as finally adopted were written by [[Burnett Pharr|Burnett "Blondie" Pharr]], director of the [[Longhorn Band]] from 1917 to 1937. "Texas Fight" is played following touchdowns and extra points at University of Texas (UT) [[college football|football games]], other [[Texas Longhorn Athletics|Longhorn]] sports events, as well as on other occasions of celebration.<ref name="Longhorn Band"/><ref name="Montgomery"/><ref name=":0" />

The repeated strain contains portions of "[[The Eyes of Texas]]," the school's [[alma mater]]. This modification was made in the summer of 1967 at the suggestion of Charles "Buster" Griffith, a member of the trumpet section, and was premiered - unannounced - at the first football game that fall, after which it became tradition.<ref name="Longhorn Band"/>

== Lyrics ==
The wording of the song is as follows.<ref>{{Cite web|title = History - School and Fight Songs|url = https://longhornband.org/school-and-fight-songs/|website = www.longhornband.org|access-date = 2020-06-15}}</ref>

{{blockquote|<poem>Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
And it’s goodbye to A&M.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
And we’ll put over one more win.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
For it’s Texas that we love best.
Hail, Hail, The gang’s all here,
And it’s good-bye to all the rest! (YELL)

Yea Orange! Yea White!
Yea Longhorns! Fight! Fight! Fight!
Texas Fight! Texas Fight,
Yea Texas Fight!
Texas Fight! Texas Fight,
Yea Texas Fight!

The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
All the livelong day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
You cannot get away.
Texas Fight, Texas Fight,
For it’s Texas that we love best.
Hail, Hail, The gang’s all here,
And it good-bye to all the rest!</poem>}}

===Alternate Lyrics===
"Hail, Hail, the gang's all here" is rarely, if ever, sung. It is almost always replaced with "Give 'em hell, give 'em hell! Go, Horns, go!"
Another version often used at football games, particularly by students, is "Give 'em hell, give 'em hell! Make 'em eat shit!".,<ref name="Longhorn Band"/><ref name="MBTF"/><ref name="Montgomery"/><ref>{{cite news | url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DP&p_theme=dp&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF44AD3A121CA5&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM | title=It's tradition, Texas-style | publisher=Denver Post | date=27 September 1996 | access-date=2007-08-03 | author=Michaelis, Vicki }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.texassports.com/mainpages/001_structure/sob.html | title=Texas Basketball Fan Guide | publisher=TexasSports.com | access-date=2007-08-03 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070312163229/http://www.texassports.com/mainpages/001_structure/sob.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-03-12}}</ref> which was intended originally as a jab at the [[Arkansas Razorbacks]].
Another version used at the annual Texas-OU game is "Give 'em hell, give 'em hell! OU sucks!" In a commercial for [[ESPN]]'s ''College GameDay'', [[Kirk Herbstreit]] improvised "Yeah, we're Texas, just north of Mexico. Home of the armadillo, black gold and El Arroyo..." before Longhorns coach [[Mack Brown]] says, "we don't freestyle 'Texas Fight', Big Boy." Also the A&M in "And it’s goodbye to A&M" is often replaced by the current opponent of Texas, if it's not A&M.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120722042856/http://mbe187.music.utexas.edu/Longhornband/SoundClips/02%20Track%2002.mp3 "Texas Fight" performed by the Texas Longhorn Band]

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[[Category:Southeastern Conference fight songs]]
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