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| google image...our son's high school football stadium |
Now before I begin, I have to remind new readers of where I am coming from. Yes, I am 50 years old with four adult children and two still at home. We home schooled our first four through high school and now have our fifth in public high school. Our first four all played home school sports - basketball and baseball, through different organizations. During their home school days football wasn't a sport played by home school students.
Okay...that is the summary.
So we went to our first high school football game in over 30 years on Thursday night. Now remind you we have been to college and professional football games, but I have to say there is something about a high school football game that just brings back memories.
As I sat on the bench feeling years younger, I started chanting to the opposing teams fight song. The music was the same used by my high school armada. Singing into my teen's son ears...(yes, one of those moments where they roll their eyes at you indicating the thoughts of "Mom, you are crazy"), I caught myself in mid-chant. Surely I didn't sing that fight song in high school. Oh, my...not right-winged-correct, not left-winged-correct, not even politically correct....I mean we were minors...this would be illegal.
Another background note. I am at least a third generation tea-totler....always have been and still am. I have never had a beer...and very little liquor has ever touched my mouth...the drinks I have had were as an adult. This has been my own personal conviction from my youth. So I was surprised to remember my school's fight song and the words... well what would you think? (note: melody is the same as the Notre Dame fight song)
Beer beer for old Austin High
Bring out the whiskey, bring out the rye Send those freshmen out for gin, and don't let a sober SENIOR in
We never stagger, we never fall
We sober up on wood alcohol
All ye saints of Austin High are out on the drunk again
Yes! that is our fight song. Now I just started laughing when I realized what it said. I yelled it at the top of my lungs for four straight years. I led it with my drill team. As a Mom, I would probably protest the use of this age-long fight song. I mean we have enough teen drinking without using it as our fight song.
As I giggled to myself, I also realized how it has so much to do with the heart. My heart was before the Lord through high school....and even in my naive chanting of a fight song I still survived. I also was so thankful for the faithfulness of my God who walked me through those years with very little scares. This is my prayer for my new high school son. May we all remember to pray for this generation as they fight the temptations set before them. May God protect their hearts.
(We only got to see one quarter of the football game. A lightening storm shut down the game...that was also a first in our life, and we had to leave the field. They resumed the game an hour later and we won!)
That is so funny, I can't even remember my school song. I bet it was fun though, I love high school football games. All I remember about it when I was in high school was I wore a new outfit every week to the football game. Geez was I nuts or what?
ReplyDeleteInteresting the things we remember about those days and think...did I really? ha. Like loving the movie Grease and then watching it with our junior high boys and saying...Oh, no, this is not appropriate! Weird. Thankful God moved us and grew us through those days. And yes, highschool football is FUN! Blessings! Amy
ReplyDeleteToo funny. I remember our school song from high school but never substituted words like that! lol
ReplyDeleteOh my! you sang that?? and survived?! Haha!
ReplyDeleteYes, we need to pray for our young people! It's by the grace of God ONLY that we don't wear the could-have-been scars (or worse) of our before-the-Lord days.
Blessings!
If there is another fight song I never heard it or saw it...this is still the one used
ReplyDeleteSo if substituted words they were substituted decades and decades ago..this school is well over 100 years old
Yes Amy..thought the same thing about Grease...I viewed it through naive eyes also
Those are progressive lyrics anytime, but tradition trumps change many, many times.
ReplyDeleteI guess we survive those times in order to mentor the next generation through. God's grace is thankfully endless!
Have a fabulous week.
I am glad you had fun at the football game.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and ((HUGS))
-Mary
this cracked me up and I have a great image of you in the bleachers cheering with all your heart. Just loved reading this. And I think you must be a great mom.
ReplyDeleteFight fight for old Wilson High
ReplyDeleteHelp us to win the victory or die
With our colors flying high
We'll reach the summit by and by
Though the fight be hard and long
You'll always hear us singing a song
Ever loyal to old Wilson
Fighting for vitory... RAH!
Same tune, Jr.High in southern California, I've never forgotten a word!!
Praying for your son and all the sons and daughters in this time of life, so different in many ways from when we were there.
xo
Wow! That's some fight song. You
ReplyDeletecan't fight when you're drunk!
I can't even remember my school's
song. Funny. But, yes, we need to
stay on our knees for this generation.
What a great memory you have! But, then again, I am 9 years older than you. :o) I couldn't remember my high school fight song if I had to.
ReplyDeleteYes, these kids definitely need the covering of God's grace as they grow up in today's world. I'm already praying that covering over my precious grans.
Thanks for stopping by earlier and for your words of encouragement. Blessings!
totally agree - so much thrown their way. Way more than I was faced with (back during your same era) :)) Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a worse song. Who wrote that and where were the parents back then? Oh my! LOL
ReplyDeleteJanette, I love this post! There's nothing like taking you back than attending a high school football game. And your picture ... I drive by that spot on the way to my parents' house! You really are living in my neck of the woods!
ReplyDeleteMy research is showing those lyrics were used back as far as the 40's and 50's!
ReplyDeleteWell, I guess we know the reason for the lightning strike!!! LOL
ReplyDeleteThe Lord's hand kept you sheltered
and I pray the same for your/everyone's kids! I can just imagine you on that drill team, singing along to that song..."it has a good beat and it's fun to dance to"! Haha!
Isn't it amazing what we considered "appropriate" back in the day. Wow! There would be lawsuits for those words if they were used today. Glad to hear I am not the only mom that gets 'the look' when kids think I'm out of my mind. I love that look, it means the kids are paying attention :)
ReplyDeleteFunny.
ReplyDeletefondly,
Glenda
We did a lot of things as teens that make us cringe as parents. We survived, and our kids will too. After all they have been given good foundations. And Rah, Rah for the home team!
ReplyDelete(I was on the dance team and in Pep Club at my high school!)
Girl, your memory is MUCH better than mine! LOL! It is pretty funny the things that we 'used' to not think a thing about. Hmmmm... But, we all survived pretty well in spite of those things. I will continue to pray to protect our children's hearts. Amen, Janette. blessings ~ Tanna
ReplyDeleteGreat story, Janette! How on earth did your administration allow you to sing that song! Amazing! You are talking high school, right? I mean - on college campuses, I could see it - but, high school? Inappropriate no matter who sings it, though. But, good for a laugh. I find myself singing along with music in stores only to suddenly realize that I still remember the words to the oldies - and what those words actually are saying! God is so good to bring us through - and give us so much more to pour into our children than what the world might have given us!
ReplyDeleteJoy!
Kathy
Sounds like you had a fun time at the game. The lyrics of that song would NEVER have been permitted at my school in the seventies! I don't think it would have been permitted to THINK such words. My Mom sings along with music at the grocery store so I know how mortified your son must have been. Hehe. It's nice you shared some fun together, though.--------Shannon
ReplyDeleteAre you kidding?? That really is the fight song? How did they get away with it? What did verse two say?
ReplyDeleteDUI, DUI for old Austin High
Barf out the whiskey, barf out the rye
Send those freshman out to drive, and not a senior will be left alive
We can only stagger, until we fall
We sober up when our parents call
All ye saints of Austin High are out on the drunk again...
(And we're just pretty darn proud of them, too!) :)
To be a little more serious here - yes, I also pray for our children. This is a much more complicated world than the one we grew up in. And there are many temptations that we never faced. May God hold them strong...
Cheers for the old Austin High Guzzlers - they won!
XO
Yes, God IS faithful - and AMEN to that prayer, "May God protect their hearts!"
ReplyDeleteI am surprised the song has survived (the lyrics anyway)all these years. Yes we do need to pray for the younger generation, they are faced with so much more than we were
ReplyDeleteJanette, you are so very lovable! I love it when you share so openly about yourself. I can just picture you in the bleachers singing your heart out. You are a gem. I hope you continue to enjoy those games. And yes, God protected your heart.
ReplyDeleteLove you,
Debbie
So glad that God protected me from so much during those years. That is some fight song-a few too many of those beers and no wonder they call it a fight song! Cracked me up. I had to laugh at Amy's comment-my hubby and I encountered that with ET not long ago-I hadn't seen that in years and didn't even remember it having such bad words in it, I couldn't grab the remote fast enough to fast forward through those parts. Funny what you don't think of as being bad till you have your own kiddos! Love you-thanks for the laugh.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Jill
You made me smile. I can remember the words to our song too (same melody as yours) but ours weren't nearly as fun as yours :)
ReplyDeleteHave a glorious week!
Blessings,
Marcia
I don't remember my school song! Gosh, I must be old!!!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got out to ball game; they are so much fun!
Hi Janette, I was just at MaryAnn's blog and saw your comment which made me think of you. Have I told you that our daughter&her family got a miniature Schnauzer and she is adorable and sweet. I also know what you mean about high school sports-it does take you back to earlier years and of course a good "home town feeling". Hey my friend, how can I uphold you this week?
ReplyDeleteLove and blessings, Noreen
Funny - and I cannot believe they allowed those lyrics for a high school fight song. :)
ReplyDeleteHave a great week - Marsha
Oh dear. Isn't it true? The crazy things we did in our naivety and yet we are still His beloved. It's a wonder.
ReplyDeleteI join you in prayer for our youth...
Blessings, Debbie
Oh yes, and congratulations on the win!!
I came here yesterday but was disrupted before I could even finish reading this. And then, in one of those cool Providential moments, I actually had a similar experience yesterday before I could even read yours!
ReplyDeleteMine was different in that I started singing an old University of Georgia fight song for no reason at all. I realized the words were;
"What's that coming down the track?
A big machine that's red and black...
There's nothing finer in the land...
Than a drunk obnoxious Georgia Fan..."
I stopped. And then, I TOO started thinking about the stuff I sang right along with as a young girl... not thinking in the least what it was I was singing.
I had an identical moment and call to prayer.
Seriously... how cool is it that we were on the same page?