(a) The poem entitled, “Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee,” by Admiral William Lawrence, is designated and adopted as an official state poem for this state, which poem reads as follows:

“Oh Tennessee, My Tennessee

What Love and Pride I Feel for Thee.

You Proud Ole State, the Volunteer,

Your Proud Traditions I Hold Dear.

I Revere Your Many Heroes

Who Bravely Fought our Country’s Foes.

Renowned Statesmen, so Wise and Strong,

Who Served our Country Well and Long.

I Thrill at Thought of Mountains Grand;

Rolling Green Hills and Fertile Farm Land;

Earth Rich with Stone, Mineral and Ore;

Forests Dense and Wild Flowers Galore;

Powerful Rivers that Bring us Light;

Deep Lakes with Fish and Fowl in Flight;

Thriving Cities and Industries;

Fine Schools and Universities;

Strong Folks of Pioneer Descent,

Simple, Honest, and Reverent.

Beauty and Hospitality

Are the Hallmarks of Tennessee.

And O’er the World as I May Roam,

No Place Exceeds my Boyhood Home.

And Oh How Much I Long to See

My Native Land, My Tennessee.”

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 4-1-303

  • Lands: includes lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein, equitable as well as legal. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Road: includes public bridges and may be held equivalent to the words "county way" "county road" or "state road". See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b) The poem entitled, “My Tennessee,” by Michael McDonald, is designated and adopted as an official state poem for this state, which poem reads as follows:

Cowboy boots, pickup trucks,

White-faced bulls, and lespedeza hay,

Cottontails runnin’, beagle dogs singin’

Huntin’ with Grandpa, on a gray, frosty day.

Sunday mornin’ preachin, hell-fire and brimstone,

Country ham for dinner, banana puddin’ and ice tea,

Pitchin’ them horse-shoes, watermelon cuttin’,

Friends and kinfolk underneath the old oak tree.

Tennessee, you’re a raging river,

A Lookout Mountain, seeing as far as you can see,

Bloody Shiloh, brother against brother,

General Grant and Robert E. Lee,

Sittin’ on a feed sack, pickin’ my guitar,

Writin’ them songs, in a country kinda way,

Whittlin’ on a cedar stick, spittin’ tobacco juice,

Spinnin’ them yarns, about by-gone days.

Andrew Jackson and ol’ Davy Crockett

Always were heroes to me.

Buckskin britches, black-powder rifles,

Dreamin’ ’bout freedom and the days that used to be.

Tennessee I’ll never leave you,

You’re the heart and soul of me,

Mighty Mississippi, Great Smoky Mountains,

You’re all these things, and more to me.

Matched-pair of sorrel mules, Tennessee walkers,

Munchin’ on a moon pie and an R.O.C.;

Duck-head overalls, wish I had a Goo Goo;

All rared back listenin’ to the Grand Ole Opry.

Tennessee I’ll never leave you,

You’re the heart and soul of me,

Mighty Mississippi, Great Smoky Mountains,

All these things, my Tennessee.

(c) The poem entitled, “My Beloved Tennessee” by Marlene Tidwell, is designated and adopted as an official state poem for this state. The poem reads as follows:

My thoughts wander on your path again

Captivated by the beauty of rolling hills

That rise above a road that bends,

As dusk spreads mist across the fields.

I heard the piping of the morning lay

And gazed on scenes from yesteryears,

When open come the gates of May,

And in purple ruffles the Iris appears.

Cherished memories thou doth hold,

Sweet home in Tennessee, to you I hope

To come before the winds grow cold.

Nestled in vales, quaint barns of old

Stood in wait for the gathering harvest

Scattered across autumn fields of gold,

And chapels adorned with steeples fair

Rang bells against the morning cold

Calling the pleasant and faithful there

To come and nourish thirsting souls.

Your faith has kept your pillars strong,

My heritage from days of old,

How blessed am I to call you home.

Your vaulted domes, in blue mist crowned,

Listen to babbling brooks shower chambers

Beneath, rich treasures there are found.

From afar they come to see your sights,

And hear your song, from Memphis to

Bristol, your cities shine bright.

For in distant lands your light has shown,

Oh Valiant Volunteer, you gave hope

To those you had never known.

Come to me in my dreams tonight

Oh beloved home in Tennessee,

When I wake with morning’s light,

May I again be near to thee.

  Previous section
Next section  
 Part 3 Contents