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1997 SESSION

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973749260
HOUSE BILL NO. 2360 Offered January 20, 1997 A BILL to amend and reenact § 7.1-37 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the official song of the Commonwealth. ---------- Patron-- Hall ---------- Referred to Committee on General Laws ----------

Whereas, the Commonwealth has no effective official song because "Carry Me Back To Old Virginia," declared the State song in 1940, has become so controversial that it is no longer possible or appropriate to use the song; and

Whereas, the official song should reference the rich history and tradition of the Commonwealth and invoke images of the natural and scenic beauty its citizens celebrate; and

Whereas, the Commonwealth requires an official song that can be sung on all occasions with pride and affection; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That, upon repeal of the designation of the current state song, "Virginia," lyrics and music by Donna and Jimmy Dean be designated the official song of the Commonwealth, the words of which are as follows:

Virginia From the Blue Ridge to the great Atlantic Ocean There's a Commonwealth of beauty known to man As the mother of the Fathers of our country, Heaven chose her as the birthplace of our land.

Chorus:

Virginia, dear old Virginia! There's no place on earth I'd rather be. Virginia, sweet old Virginia! My Old Dominion home keeps calling me. When I think about the beauty of Virginia, I remember dogwoods blooming in the spring. When the sun sets on the Shenandoah Valley, Sometimes I think I hear the angels sing. They sing. . . .

Chorus:

Virginia, dear old Virginia! There's no place on earth I'd rather be. Virginia, sweet old Virginia! My Old Dominion home keeps calling me.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 7.1-37 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 7.1-37. Official song.

The song "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," by James A. Bland "Virginia" by Donna and Jimmy Dean, as set out in the House Joint Resolution 10, adopted by the General Assembly of Virginia at the Session of 1940 herein, is declared to be the official song of the Commonwealth.