BGSU - Interesting Information

#26
#26
Jake Tate said:
Great information. Thanks for sharing. However, I will disagree on one point, I don’t think,
“Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top
Lookin' for a moonshine still
Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top
Reckon they never will”
refers to killing a cop, but just someone not local came there trying to steal some shine and didn’t survive the encounter.

I could be wrong though. That’s just my interpretation.
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WELP; it coulda been that the Strangers found the Moonshine Still; and Loved that shinny so much they 'Ain't come down from Rocky Top." I HOPE someone hasn't thrown our fight song under the woke bus!!
 
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#28
#28
I always thought they just got lost because they were city folks who don't know their way around the woods. And I agree that we should not disrespect their school. Just beat the crap out of them, then shake hands and say 'good game'.
 
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#29
#29

Revenuers leave a bad taste in my mouth too. However, they were duly authorized by government authority to enforce government sanctioned laws. As such, they were no different than the FBI, DEA, FDA, and other enforcement and regulatory agencies. Law enforcement is more than just about wearing a uniform, strutting about, and carrying a gun.

Revenuers:
A government agent in charge of collecting revenue, especially one responsible for halting the unlawful distilling or bootlegging of alcohol.
 
#30
#30
kckempf said:
I wonder how long ago North Texas brought their band. These days even in conference there aren’t many visiting bands.
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Don't know, don't really care. Not sure if it was North Texas or some other small school. I was just proud to see our POS invite the other band to march and play with them. To me it was pure class. Perhaps other schools have done this too, but I don't care. I was just bursting with pride to see our band do this. Now, that was real Tennessee Pride. And a memory I'll never let go of, not ever.
 
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#32
#32
How twisted do you have to be to put forward the concept or interpretation "strangers never came down from Rocky Top, reckon they never will" to be about murdering cops? Lots of other solutions than murdering cops to those lyrics like staying or joining the people on Rocky Top since their women are half bear the other half cat. Lots of guys go there for that show and stay for a lifetime.
 
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#33
#33
Jake Tate said:
Great information. Thanks for sharing. However, I will disagree on one point, I don’t think,
“Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top
Lookin' for a moonshine still
Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top
Reckon they never will”
refers to killing a cop, but just someone not local came there trying to steal some shine and didn’t survive the encounter.

I could be wrong though. That’s just my interpretation.
Click to expand...

It's pretty clearly a reference to revenuers during Prohibition and the moonshiners kill them.
 
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#35
#35
It would have never occurred to me to make fun of BGSU till I read OP's post.
But now...
 
#36
#36
Remy said:
How twisted do you have to be to put forward the concept or interpretation "strangers never came down from Rocky Top, reckon they never will" to be about murdering cops? Lots of other solutions than murdering cops to those lyrics like staying or joining the people on Rocky Top since their women are half bear the other half cat. Lots of guys go there for that show and stay for a lifetime.
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Not twisted Remy ... it's a reference to a period of Appalachian history. Strangers who came looking for a moonshine still and disappear... It is the Prohibition era. I am not saying this is a terrible lyric, it's kind of a lighthearted and jokey thing, but that's what it's referring to.
 
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#37
#37
You have to remember that Rocky Top, the song, is a product of its time. In the mid 20th century there was a widespread trope in which Appalachian folk are backward, xenophobic, and violent, but this was often portrayed in a humorous way for entertainment. Think of the Dukes of Hazzard fighting the foolish deputy, think of Jed Clampett's shotgun, think of the family feud motif. Or in a scary way, the movie Deliverance. One common theme in these portrayals of Appalachian folk culture is the battle between the mountain people and the government official or revenuer. See this list of films starting in 1904 in the special collections at Appalachian State University. These old films are full of violence against the federal agents. Or the plot is often about him falling in love with the moonshiner's daughter. It's well known, and it was in the background of the writing of Rocky Top by Boudleaux and Felice Bryant.
 
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#39
#39
That is a truly pathetic fight song. I sorry, but it sounded like the looney tunes theme song. But hey, they get to chant BGSU a couple of times, so there's that.
 
#40
#40
If I'm honest, I've never really liked the lyrics to Rocky Top.....the song implies that we are so backwoods that we don't have phones and we ALL drink our corn from a jar! Really? And then we get incensed when people like Chris Fowler refer to us as red necks and hillbillies. Well, um, we embrace that stereotype every Fall Saturday as we proudly sing our song 37 times. Catchy tune, but the lyrics stop just short of Junior Sampleism. We're all overalled toothless fools on Rocky Top!

Most folks might disagree, offer invitations to fisticuffs, and gladly usher me beyond the state line, but there's a certain parlance in Rocky Top that brings to mind inbred Deliverance images. I know, I know...sacrilege. I'll just go ahead and call Two Guys and a Truck now!

Am I the ONLY one who has ever thought this? Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?
 
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#41
#41
Firebirdparts said:
I realize you are all day drinking, but Rocky Top is not a "fight song" nor is it the University of Tennessee's fight song nor Alma Mater. You all should know that.

Rocky Top is a popular song, as as a result, it's always going to win any contest with actual kooky and idiotic "fight songs" and "alma maters" even if it's up against 500 of them. Cause they're all stupid.


Tom Lehrer had a bit on the Alma Mater too.
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It's the unofficial fight song of the UTenn. Just as Ay-Ziggy Zoomba is the unofficial fight song of BGSU. Tennessee Vols: Rocky Top Makes Its Way To The White House

As a matter of fact, it should be official one as our band seems to plays it more often than Down the Field.
 
#42
#42
Remy said:
How twisted do you have to be to put forward the concept or interpretation "strangers never came down from Rocky Top, reckon they never will" to be about murdering cops? Lots of other solutions than murdering cops to those lyrics like staying or joining the people on Rocky Top since their women are half bear the other half cat. Lots of guys go there for that show and stay for a lifetime.
Click to expand...

As Americans, we tend to dislike it when someone points out facts in our history that doesn't paint us in a flattering light. We prefer our fantasy of being infallible good guys. Our TV westerns for decades echoed this sentiment, but history says otherwise. Now, as for the song, Rockytop:

1. The song's second verse recalls a story about two "strangers" (apparently revenue agents) climbing Rocky Top "looking for a moonshine still," but never returning (conflict between moonshiners and "revenuers" is a common theme in Appalachian culture). - Rocky Top - Wikipedia

2. Not everything is pleasant at Rocky Top if you don't mind your own business, as federal agents poking around an illegal moonshine racket learn in the song. (Moonshine was a popular source of income for Appalachians during the early 20th century as a way to get the most value out of their corn crops.) The lyrics tell us:

Once two strangers climbed ol' Rocky Top
Lookin' for a moonshine still;
Strangers ain't come down from Rocky Top,
Reckon they never will. - Rocky Top by Osborne Brothers - Songfacts

Bear in mind, these strangers went looking for a still. If they just wanted a sip of good hill whiskey, they'd have gone to some local joint or a home selling the stuff on the side. When I was growing up in Tennessee, we from time to time had "strangers," sometimes flashing a badge, asking about moonshine stills. Knowing kids are less likely to lie than adults, they'd target us. But we had been taught to keep our mouths shut. They'd go tramping off into the thickets, looking just the same. And yes, at times we heard gunshots and yelling. We kids would be called inside, sat down and told, "You heard nuthing, you saw nuthin, you say nuthin to nobody, not even to your beloved candy and ice cream bribing Aunt Juley Sue."

Take it or leave it, it matters not, facts are what they are.
 
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#43
#43
WoodsmanVol said:
Don't know, don't really care. Not sure if it was North Texas or some other small school. I was just proud to see our POS invite the other band to march and play with them. To me it was pure class. Perhaps other schools have done this too, but I don't care. I was just bursting with pride to see our band do this. Now, that was real Tennessee Pride. And a memory I'll never let go of, not ever.
Click to expand...
Since I know they didn't bring the band in 2015, it means they brought the band in 1975, which was homecoming. If it's anything like now, homecoming would not give them time at halftime to perform, so they must have decided to give them some time as a courtesy.

We also lost that game, so if the band was the thing you remember most about it it's probably for the better!
 
#44
#44
WoodsmanVol said:
What to me and probably lots of other fans, Vols or otherwise, is BGSU's strange fight song. It has an interesting origin. First some BGSU history.

SICSIC was created Oct. 5, 1946, at 12:45 a.m. Seated in the darkened room of BGSU President Frank Prout's office, six young men (Richard Oliver Harig, Erwin Potts, Gilbert Fox, Earl Mott, Max Hofmeisier and James Limbacher) anxiously waited to hear why they had been called to the president's office at such a late hour. Each one had received a secret letter earlier that day telling him to meet in the president's office at 12:45 a.m. and to destroy the letter as soon as he had read and memorized it. The letter bewildered the boys and piqued their curiosity. President Prout Harig, a senior Sigma Alpha Epsilon member; and Reverend James Stoner, the campus minister, had met earlier in the year to discuss the need for more school spirit and had decided that a secret spirit organization was the solution. Prout went through the yearbook and handpicked the six men who would become the original "secret six." They had decided the new spirit organization would consist of two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors. All six young men agreed to join the group and felt honored to have been chosen for the position. The group knew that they must have a unique and original name in order for their organization to stand out, and SICSIC was created. The meaning of the name remains a secret, with only members knowing what it stands for.

The Fight Song

Brought to Bowling Green over half a century ago by original SICSIC member and World War II veteran Gilbert Fox, "Ay Ziggy Zoomba" is BGSU's unofficial fight song. In 1946, Fox, an Army Air Corps bombardier who served in Italy, brought his interpretation based upon a Zulu war chant back to the University.

I think it is interesting, if nothing else. HOPEFULLY, none of our fans will be stupid and disrespectful enough to go to their board/forum and presume to make fun of BGSU. For me, one of my proudest moments was during a game at Neyland, we played a smaller school, I think it was North Texas. POS asked their band to join them on the field and played and marched together. Plus, I believe POS tends to play the other schools' fight songs prior to games. This is class, Tennessee class. So again, hopefully none of our fans are classless enough to go to their website and presume to mock them. After all, our unofficial fight song praises illegal alcohol and murdering law enforcement personnel. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed these little factoids.
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Tennessee fans usually don't mock the mid-major teams on our schedule, at least to my knowledge. We have more class for that. We prefer to post redneck mockery photos of Alabama fans.
 
#45
#45
Interesting fact about Rocky Top, the original song is meant to be a mockery of East Tennessee by the Osborne Brothers. Yet it has been embraced as the State Song.
 
#46
#46
WoodsmanVol said:
What to me and probably lots of other fans, Vols or otherwise, is BGSU's strange fight song. It has an interesting origin. First some BGSU history.

SICSIC was created Oct. 5, 1946, at 12:45 a.m. Seated in the darkened room of BGSU President Frank Prout's office, six young men (Richard Oliver Harig, Erwin Potts, Gilbert Fox, Earl Mott, Max Hofmeisier and James Limbacher) anxiously waited to hear why they had been called to the president's office at such a late hour. Each one had received a secret letter earlier that day telling him to meet in the president's office at 12:45 a.m. and to destroy the letter as soon as he had read and memorized it. The letter bewildered the boys and piqued their curiosity. President Prout Harig, a senior Sigma Alpha Epsilon member; and Reverend James Stoner, the campus minister, had met earlier in the year to discuss the need for more school spirit and had decided that a secret spirit organization was the solution. Prout went through the yearbook and handpicked the six men who would become the original "secret six." They had decided the new spirit organization would consist of two sophomores, two juniors and two seniors. All six young men agreed to join the group and felt honored to have been chosen for the position. The group knew that they must have a unique and original name in order for their organization to stand out, and SICSIC was created. The meaning of the name remains a secret, with only members knowing what it stands for.

The Fight Song

Brought to Bowling Green over half a century ago by original SICSIC member and World War II veteran Gilbert Fox, "Ay Ziggy Zoomba" is BGSU's unofficial fight song. In 1946, Fox, an Army Air Corps bombardier who served in Italy, brought his interpretation based upon a Zulu war chant back to the University.

I think it is interesting, if nothing else. HOPEFULLY, none of our fans will be stupid and disrespectful enough to go to their board/forum and presume to make fun of BGSU. For me, one of my proudest moments was during a game at Neyland, we played a smaller school, I think it was North Texas. POS asked their band to join them on the field and played and marched together. Plus, I believe POS tends to play the other schools' fight songs prior to games. This is class, Tennessee class. So again, hopefully none of our fans are classless enough to go to their website and presume to mock them. After all, our unofficial fight song praises illegal alcohol and murdering law enforcement personnel. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed these little factoids.
Click to expand...
Please don't call our band POS. That is a bad and derogatory term to most people. If you want to abbreviate, call them Pride.
 
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#47
#47
kckempf said:
Since I know they didn't bring the band in 2015, it means they brought the band in 1975, which was homecoming. If it's anything like now, homecoming would not give them time at halftime to perform, so they must have decided to give them some time as a courtesy.

We also lost that game, so if the band was the thing you remember most about it it's probably for the better!
Click to expand...

I saw the band-sharing during either the Dooley or Butch era. I was right there in the stadium when it happened.

Volhound, in the past I have lurked anonymously on other sites, including WKU, Appy State, and USU, and seen Vols fans and behave like idiots. So yes, we do have a smattering of classless fans.
 
#48
#48
GoVols#18 said:
Please don't call our band POS. That is a bad and derogatory term to most people. If you want to abbreviate, call them Pride.
Click to expand...

Thank you for pointing that out. I will be sure to not repeat that unintended insult.
thank-you-asl.gif
 
#49
#49
RTE said:
If I'm honest, I've never really liked the lyrics to Rocky Top.....the song implies that we are so backwoods that we don't have phones and we ALL drink our corn from a jar! Really? And then we get incensed when people like Chris Fowler refer to us as red necks and hillbillies. Well, um, we embrace that stereotype every Fall Saturday as we proudly sing our song 37 times. Catchy tune, but the lyrics stop just short of Junior Sampleism. We're all overalled toothless fools on Rocky Top!

Most folks might disagree, offer invitations to fisticuffs, and gladly usher me beyond the state line, but there's a certain parlance in Rocky Top that brings to mind inbred Deliverance images. I know, I know...sacrilege. I'll just go ahead and call Two Guys and a Truck now!

Am I the ONLY one who has ever thought this? Anyone else? Anyone? Bueller?
Click to expand...
City folks just don't get it....
 
#50
#50
WoodsmanVol said:
I saw the band-sharing during either the Dooley or Butch era. I was right there in the stadium when it happened.

Volhound, in the past I have lurked anonymously on other sites, including WKU, Appy State, and USU, and seen Vols fans and behave like idiots. So yes, we do have a smattering of classless fans.
Click to expand...
That would be 2015, then. Should be able to find some photos, soon.
 
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