Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

“Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” is a song written circa 1878 by James A. Bland (1854–1911), an African-American composer and minstrel performer. It was Virginia’s state song from 1940 until 1997. There is some evidence suggesting that it is an adaptation of “Carry Me Back to Ole Virginny” (“De Floating Scow of Ole Virginia”) which had been popular since the 1840s and was sung by Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War. As Virginia’s state song . Regional anthem of Virginia adopted 1940 Relinquished 28 January 1997 Succeeded by Our Great Virginia A third reworded version was Virginia’s state song from 1940 until 1997, using the word “Virginia” instead of “Virginny.” In 1997, it was retired as the state song, largely due to controversy over the lyrics’ racial content (such as the narrator being a slave, and referring to himself as a “darkey”). On January 28, 1997, the Virginia Senate voted to designate “Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” as state song emeritus and a study committee initiated a contest for writing a new state song. The song was representative of the commonwealth in many ways. “When Clifton A. Woodrum was in Congress, the House of Representatives couldn’t adjourn until the honorable Democrat from Roanoke, Virginia with a rich and varied baritone voice led the body in a rendition of “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny”. In January 2006, a state Senate panel voted to designate “Shenandoah” as the “interim official state song.” On March 1, 2006, the House Rules Committee of the General Assembly voted down bill SB682, which would have made “Shenandoah” the official state song.