THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 29, 1997 TAG: 9701290473
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LAURA LAFAY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 66 lines
At a state legislative conference in Nashville last summer, Portsmouth Sen. Louise Lucas and her colleagues were embarrassed to be from Virginia.
``Everybody played their state song,'' she recalled Tuesday. ``Oklahoma played their song. Alabama played their song. Tennessee played their song. And then Virginia played their song and we were all too embarrassed to stand up. We all just sat there and said, `Oh God.' ''
Lucas, a black Democrat, is co-sponsoring a bill to retire the official state song: ``Carry Me Back to Old Virginia.'' The Senate on Tuesday approved the bill 24-15.
The bill now goes to the House of Delegates, where a separate bill would designate the song ``Virginia,'' written by country music star Jimmy Dean and his wife, Donna, as the state song. Prospects for passage in the House are considered strong in light of approval of similar legislation in previous sessions.
Lucas' co-sponsor for the Senate bill is Stephen D. Newman, a white Republican from Lynchburg, whom Lucas says is also embarrassed by the song, which glorifies slavery and refers to ``where this old darkey's heart am long'd to go. There's where I labored so hard for old Massa . . . ''
``Virginia doesn't have a state song as far as I'm concerned,'' Newman said. ``It simply doesn't exist for the purpose of official functions. It simply doesn't exist for our school children.''
He said the bill was a way to retire the song gracefully.
The bill was drafted as a compromise to satisfy legislators who think the song is historically significant and should be preserved. It would, Lucas said, ``give it a dignified retirement.''
Not that she thinks it deserves one. ``I'd like to just bury the thing, but we haven't been able to do that,'' she said.
``There have been efforts to repeal this song since (former Gov.) L. Douglas Wilder was in the Senate in 1970. I introduced legislation to repeal the song when I first got here in 1992 and I became a laughingstock.''
``It's an anachronism, it's out of step, out of place and out of time,'' Wilder said in an interview Tuesday.
He said he supports the proposal to designate the anthem as state song emeritus, a move intended to appease ``Carry Me Back'' defenders who say its place in state history should be preserved.
The assembly previously changed ``Virginny'' to ``Virginia'' but left the lyrics intact.
Montgomery County Sen. Madison Marye abstained from voting Tuesday. Marye has supported legislation to replace the song previously, he said, and has given up on the contentious debate.
MEMO: The Associated Press contributed to this story. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
ROLL CALL
How Hampton Roads legislators voted on the bill to retire the
official state song.
Mark L. Earley, R-Chesapeake - For
Richard J. Holland, D-Windsor - Against
L. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth - For
Yvonne B. Miller, D-Norfolk - Against
Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-Williamsburg - For
Frederick M. Quayle, R-Chesapeake - For
Edward L. Schrock, R-Virginia Beach - For
Kenneth W. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach - For
Stanley C. Walker, D-Norfolk - Against
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997 STATE SONG