The tune is familiar — it’s “O, Tannenbaum”/”O, Christmas Tree.” But the words to Maryland’s state song are anachronistically odd:
The despot’s heel is on thy shore, Maryland! His torch is at thy temple door, Maryland! Avenge the patriotic gore, that flecked the streets of Baltimore, and be the battle queen of yore, Maryland! My Maryland!
And later:
I hear the distant thunder-hum, Maryland! The Old Line’s bugle, fife, and drum, Maryland! She is not dead, nor deaf, nor dumb — Huzza! she spurns the Northern scum! She breathes! She burns! She’ll come! She’ll come! Maryland! My Maryland!
It’s a . . .
Read the rest of the story from our partners at NBC News
More Must-Reads From TIME
- How an Alleged Spy Balloon Derailed an Important U.S.-China Meeting
- Effective Altruism Has a Toxic Culture of Sexual Harassment and Abuse, Women Say
- Inside Bolsonaro's Surreal New Life as a Florida Man—and MAGA Darling
- 'Return to Office' Plans Spell Trouble for Working Moms
- 8 Ways to Read More Books—and Why You Should
- Why Aren't Movies Sexy Anymore?
- Column: Elon Musk Should Not Be in Charge of the Night Sky
- How Logan Paul's Crypto Empire Fell Apart
- 80 for Brady May Not Be a Masterpiece. But the World Needs More Movies Like This