Texas athletes petitioning University to replace "The Eyes of Texas" and to no longer require athletes to sing it

[Tex Pete 20196]

6 minutes ago, Shaggybevo said:

Sark: "I know this much, The Eyes of Texas is our school song. We’re going to sing that song, we’re going to sing that proudly." Says that he knows there are tough discussions that need to happen. But, "That's our song and we're fired up to sing it."

By most accounts, 40% of the LHB refused to play The Eyes of Texas during the 2020 football season.   Now that Coach Steve Sarkisian says the players will sing the song, does this mean 40% of members will now quit the band?

I hope so. Fuck those losers.

[Chuckie Finster 22610]

All of the usual Twitter suspects are jumping on Sark for his answer. I don’t know how anyone can watch how the last year played out and come to the conclusion that he could give any other answer than the one he just gave, and I say this as someone who fully supported the players quest last year.

It will be interesting to see if merely having a coach who can bond with the players will make a difference, because even though Tom publicly supported the players I’m not sure any of them felt like they could really confide in him.

[Dijon Robinson 1511]

29 minutes ago, Chuckie Finster said:

All of the usual Twitter suspects are jumping on Sark for his answer. I don’t know how anyone can watch how the last year played out and come to the conclusion that he could give any other answer than the one he just gave, and I say this as someone who fully supported the players quest last year.

It will be interesting to see if merely having a coach who can bond with the players will make a difference, because even though Tom publicly supported the players I’m not sure any of them felt like they could really confide in him.

I'm in the same boat. I'm at the point where I couldn't give less of a shit whether the players sung it or not, I just want to stop hearing about it as a "controversy".

[Pasken 1309]

1 hour ago, Chuckie Finster said:

All of the usual Twitter suspects are jumping on Sark for his answer. I don’t know how anyone can watch how the last year played out and come to the conclusion that he could give any other answer than the one he just gave, and I say this as someone who fully supported the players quest last year.

It will be interesting to see if merely having a coach who can bond with the players will make a difference, because even though Tom publicly supported the players I’m not sure any of them felt like they could really confide in him.

Who are the usual Twitter suspects?

[TechTech 99]

4 minutes ago, Pasken said:

Who are the usual Twitter suspects?

uh think anyone who benefits from controversy aka BLM motivated faculty 

[Cajun 11675]

1 hour ago, Fuck Tim Beck said:

Fuck the band and the rusty trombone they rode in on. 

This.  Anyone not wanting to honor, play, and sing the song can gtfo

[Gil Bang 25903]

1 hour ago, Fuck Tim Beck said:

Fuck the band and the rusty trombone they rode in on. 

I didn't go to Texas, so "The Eyes" isn't something that I opine on.  But the band...what the fuck is it with those little cowboy hats that look like they belong on a monkey?

[Cajun 11675]

[Tex Pete 20196]

1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

I didn't go to Texas, so "The Eyes" isn't something that I opine on.  But the band...what the fuck is it with those little cowboy hats that look like they belong on a monkey?

You’re not wrong. Maybe that’s what those idiots should have protested. 

[Fondren & Main 6675]

Everyone who doesn’t want to sing is probably a loser pussy.  Get rid of the dead weight losers and let’s start stomping dicks.

[Wishbone 4739]

3 hours ago, Fuck Tim Beck said:

Fuck the band and the rusty trombone they rode in on. 

Yeah. Shouldn’t be any problem gettin’ new band members in Austin. 

[Longhornstampede 3174]

52 minutes ago, Fondren & Main said:

Everyone who doesn’t want to sing is probably a loser pussy.  Get rid of the dead weight losers and let’s start stomping dicks.

As a member of the LHAB I wholeheartedly support this idea....

[tantric superman 4667]

Everybody is so fucking gay and stupid about their fucking school song.

 

 

[tantric superman 4667]

On 11/21/2020 at 9:30 AM, UTEX90 said:

The best day in the history of Texas sports that was punctuated with the singing of the school song. 

The "the best day in the history of Texas sports" would have been punctuated by any song.  I would have gone with Hocus Pocus by Focus.

[clapclapclap 9000]

22 minutes ago, tantric superman said:

Everybody is so fucking gay and stupid about their fucking school song.

[South Austin 52171]

11 hours ago, Dijon Robinson said:

I'm in the same boat. I'm at the point where I couldn't give less of a shit whether the players sung it or not, I just want to stop hearing about it as a "controversy".

Same here. I have the possibly unpopular opinion that the song is lame, lyrically and musically, and couldn’t understand why keeping the song was a hill so many Longhorns fans were willing to die on.

But I’m also tired of this, and one way or the other, I’d love for this not to be a controversy looming over or distracting our new head coach in his first season.  I don’t care how it ends, I just want it to be over.

I honestly forgot about this around mid-season last year, and if there were band members who opted not to play this song, I couldn’t tell.

[Tex Pete 20196]

2 hours ago, South Austin said:

if there were band members who opted not to play this song, I couldn’t tell.

The band refused to play at any of our games because of it, though their original claim (a lie) was that they didn’t want to play because they didn’t know how playing instruments would transmit covid. 
 

What is their reason for existence again? How can you be the “Drum Major” if you refuse to lead the band? Just complete idiocy with no adult oversight. 

[tantric superman 4667]

I doubt there is much of a comparison but maybe there is a slight one.  Back in the 70s they changed the Stanford mascot from Indian to ... well, nothing.  Back then I think they probably did a sad imitation of maybe what Florida State did.  A native american in a full headdress would ride in on a horse and everyone would cheer. 

After they did away with the mascot, in the 80s at homecoming, they would bring a guy in full headgear to ride into the stadium.  The alumni would cheer, and the student section would boo (and maybe launch some water balloons) at the rider and horse, and then he'd ride off.  It may have been one game or a few, I don't know.  I had to feign disinterest. 

So maybe they still play it and the students who don't like it murmur loudly in disaffected protest? 

And that's all I have to say about this.

['stache 21778]

The first time I heard it I thought it was odd that a whole university was so obsessed with "I've been working on the railroad." Outside of your alumni, 99% of the population think of the railroad song. I still think it's odd as an athletics tune, especially since your actual fight song Texas Fight is pretty darn good. When I was in the OSU band we used to have parties and we had mockery lyrics to other schools' fight songs we would sing while drunk. I won't tell you the verbiage we used for The Eyes of Texas, but it was a hell of a fun time.

And that's all I have to say about this. 

Edited January 13, 2021 by 'stache

[ImissWallyPryor 9045]

12 minutes ago, 'stache said:

The first time I heard it I thought it was odd that a whole university was so obsessed with "I've been working on the railroad." Outside of your alumni, 99% of the population think of the railroad song. I still think it's odd as an athletics tune, especially since your actual fight song Texas Fight is pretty darn good. When I was in the OSU band we used to have parties and we had mockery lyrics to other schools' fight songs we would sing while drunk. I won't tell you the verbiage we used for The Eyes of Texas, but it was a hell of a fun time.

And that's all I have to say about this. 

Can you think of one other school song, starting with your own school’s song?

['stache 21778]

7 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Can you think of one other school song, starting with your own school’s song?

We didn't mock our own songs, but I can think of a few things that would probably work. We are much easier to mock on the merits of our athletic performance. I entered OSU in 2000, so we really didn't have much else to mock others for athletically.

Edited January 13, 2021 by 'stache

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, 'stache said:

 I entered OSU in 2000, so we really didn't...

Not even a man yet...

[Tex Pete 20196]

22 minutes ago, 'stache said:

The first time I heard it I thought it was odd that a whole university was so obsessed with "I've been working on the railroad." Outside of your alumni, 99% of the population think of the railroad song. I still think it's odd as an athletics tune, especially since your actual fight song Texas Fight is pretty darn good. When I was in the OSU band we used to have parties and we had mockery lyrics to other schools' fight songs we would sing while drunk. I won't tell you the verbiage we used for The Eyes of Texas, but it was a hell of a fun time.

And that's all I have to say about this. 

We know and don't care.

It's a tradition that has unified Longhorns for generations. The manufactured outrage over a specious connection to racism has created an unnecessary issue that has melted a few snowflakes. Time to cast them aside and move forward. 

[MirrOlure 14645]

The first time I heard it I thought it was odd that a whole university was so obsessed with "I've been working on the railroad." Outside of your alumni, 99% of the population think of the railroad song. I still think it's odd as an athletics tune, especially since your actual fight song Texas Fight is pretty darn good. When I was in the OSU band we used to have parties and we had mockery lyrics to other schools' fight songs we would sing while drunk. I won't tell you the verbiage we used for The Eyes of Texas, but it was a hell of a fun time.
And that's all I have to say about this. 

Golly. What hootenanny that must have been. Gee willikers, you zany bunch of rapscallions.

[IDIOTsavant 8459]

20 minutes ago, 'stache said:

We didn't mock our own songs, but I can think of a few things that would probably work. We are much easier to mock on the merits of our athletic performance. I entered OSU in 2000, so we really didn't have much else to mock others for athletically.

I think he's pointing out that everyone is familiar with other programs' fight songs, but very few school songs, if any, are known. The Eyes is.

[ImissWallyPryor 9045]

Thanks. You solved the riddle. 

['stache 21778]

15 minutes ago, IDIOTsavant said:

I think he's pointing out that everyone is familiar with other programs' fight songs, but very few school songs, if any, are known. The Eyes is.

 

3 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

Thanks. You solved the riddle. 

Not that it matters, but it's known because it's a folk song that children have sung for 100 years. Most people other than UT alum or dedicated college football fans would identify it as Eyes of Texas. The only school song I'm aware of that has a smilarity is SMU which uses a version of "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain" in one of their songs but SMU isn't exactly a high profile team outside their 80's cheating run. OSU's Waving Song is based on an old Broadway tune called "The Streets of New York" but that didn't become a folk song passed down through generations. None of this really matters, I'm not criticizing anything, just critiquing that Texas Fight is a great fight song and Eyes of Texas is odd from an outsider's perspective. I am a fan of college fight songs and probably know more about them than most people. I will not comment on the racial perceptions of the Eyes of Texas that is the subject of this thread. Sorry if I did a bit of a derailing.

[clapclapclap 9000]

1 hour ago, 'stache said:

The first time I heard it I thought it was odd that a whole university was so obsessed with "I've been working on the railroad." Outside of your alumni, 99% of the population think of the railroad song. I still think it's odd as an athletics tune, especially since your actual fight song Texas Fight is pretty darn good. When I was in the OSU band we used to have parties and we had mockery lyrics to other schools' fight songs we would sing while drunk. I won't tell you the verbiage we used for The Eyes of Texas, but it was a hell of a fun time.

And that's all I have to say about this. 

Why do you hate railroads?

Edited January 13, 2021 by clapclapclap
Hitbyatrain?

[Tex Pete 20196]

12 minutes ago, 'stache said:

 

 None of this really matters, I'm not criticizing anything, just critiquing that Texas Fight is a great fight song and Eyes of Texas is odd from an outsider's perspective. I am a fan of college fight songs and probably know more about them than most people. I will not comment on the racial perceptions of the Eyes of Texas that is the subject of this thread. Sorry if I did a bit of a derailing.

Again, we know and don't care. The Eyes of Texas is a tradition that has unified Longhorns for generations.

No one knows or cares what people sing at Oklahoma State. It just isn't noteworthy.

[Deej 76599]

7 minutes ago, clapclapclap said:

Why do you hate railroads?

He hates the Chinese.

[touchthemonolith 646]

3 minutes ago, Deej said:

He hates the Chinese.

Dude, that is not the preferred nomenclature. 'Asian-American'. Please.

[utee94 15746]

 

1 hour ago, Tex Pete said:

We know and don't care.

 

29 minutes ago, 'stache said:

 

Not that it matters, but it's known because it's a folk song that children have sung for 100 years. Most people other than UT alum or dedicated college football fans would identify it as Eyes of Texas. The only school song I'm aware of that has a smilarity is SMU which uses a version of "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain" in one of their songs but SMU isn't exactly a high profile team outside their 80's cheating run. OSU's Waving Song is based on an old Broadway tune called "The Streets of New York" but that didn't become a folk song passed down through generations. None of this really matters, I'm not criticizing anything, just critiquing that Texas Fight is a great fight song and Eyes of Texas is odd from an outsider's perspective. I am a fan of college fight songs and probably know more about them than most people. I will not comment on the racial perceptions of the Eyes of Texas that is the subject of this thread. Sorry if I did a bit of a derailing.

 

16 minutes ago, Tex Pete said:

Again, we know and don't care. The Eyes of Texas is a tradition that has unified Longhorns for generations.

No one knows or cares what people sing at Oklahoma State. It just isn't noteworthy.

Just to reiterate, we know, and don't care.  The song isn't for you.  Your reaction to it is irrelevant.

I don't know or care what the oSu school song or fight song are. And that's fine, because they're not for me.  Even if I had an opinion on them,  it would be irrelevant.

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by utee94

[CfRhTxStBobcats 600]

 I get the tradition of The Eyes, but for actually listening  to a song the band plays, Wabash is more enjoyable, if you like band music that is. I'm just glad as hell I've never sat next to anyone who sings along. Just tell the fucking band they're playing working on the railroad and tell the players they have to stand there but not sing along if they don't want to. Its not like you can hear them over the crowd unless you're close to them anyway.

[Rockethorn1978 6061]

18 minutes ago, touchthemonolith said:

Dude, that is not the preferred nomenclature. 'Asian-American'. Please.

[Tex Pete 20196]

1 minute ago, CfRhTxStBobcats said:

 I get the tradition of The Eyes, but for actually listening  to a song the band plays, Wabash is more enjoyable, if you like band music that is. 

Well, the band couldn't bring themselves to play anything this year. They were too traumatized by phony racism that they didn't experience themselves.

[touchthemonolith 646]

Just now, Rockethorn1978 said:

[TrashMaster G 17397]

1 hour ago, Tex Pete said:

We know and don't care.

It's a tradition that has unified Longhorns for generations. The manufactured outrage over a specious connection to racism has created an unnecessary issue that has melted a few snowflakes. Time to cast them aside and move forward. 

This is the key for me.  Even if I didn't care that much about the song (I do), I would still choose to die on this hill because I am fucking sick and tired of the cancel culture and pissed off about the faux outrage over non-existent racism in the song.  

[utee94 15746]

5 minutes ago, CfRhTxStBobcats said:

 I get the tradition of The Eyes, but for actually listening  to a song the band plays, Wabash is more enjoyable, if you like band music that is. .

You can sing the words from Pinball Wizard, to the tune of Wabash Cannonball.  True story.

[Armybrat 40755]

4 minutes ago, utee94 said:

You can sing the words from Pinball Wizard, to the tune of Wabash Cannonball.  True story.

KSU ought to look into that.

[Tex Pete 20196]

5 minutes ago, TrashMaster G said:

This is the key for me.  Even if I didn't care that much about the song (I do), I would still choose to die on this hill because I am fucking sick and tired of the cancel culture and pissed off about the faux outrage over non-existent racism in the song.  

And I want to be clear: I am in no way saying racism did not exist on campus, in Austin, in Texas, or within the University community. I am also not condoning minstrel shows in any way. I am just saying the The Eyes controversy was nothing but a contrived issue that harmed our team greatly this year. Racism has no place on this campus, but the Eyes of Texas has nothing whatsoever to do with racism. 

[CowtownHorn 5126]

4 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

KSU ought to look into that.

[El Squared 1793]

12 hours ago, tantric superman said:

Everybody is so fucking gay and stupid about their fucking school song.

 

 

Its thing for some people, just don't like all the recreationally triggered/offended by everything crowd that wants to see controversy under every rock and and in every molecule of air. I wish they would find some real causes to rail on, and check their shinebox orange slice supply levels.

Edited January 13, 2021 by El Squared

[General Specific 3235]

I think he's pointing out that everyone is familiar with other programs' fight songs, but very few school songs, if any, are known. The Eyes is.

Rent free as well. Not to mention mockery is the best form of flattery.

[ImissWallyPryor 9045]

2 hours ago, 'stache said:

The only school song I'm aware of that has a smilarity is SMU which uses a version of "She'll be Coming 'Round the Mountain" in one of their songs but SMU isn't exactly a high profile team outside their 80's cheating run.

I guess I missed them playing that as their official alma matre after they put me to sleep with this:

 

Edited January 13, 2021 by ImissWallyPryor
Is that Bernie Sanders directing them?

[burdine 522]

Seems pretty clear the tradition is going to survive and continue.  I remember quite a few doubters . . .

[SDG 3319]

Cross posting because he goes into more detail about his plan to address. 

 

 

Just past the halfway mark (5:58) he addresses the "eyes" and that the dialogue will include bringing in alum like Earl, Vince, and Ricky who recognize the importance of the song.  Nailed it IMO. 

[David Dennison 18694]

On 1/13/2021 at 2:02 PM, burdine said:

Seems pretty clear the tradition is going to survive and continue.  I remember quite a few doubters . . .

It's pretty clear that if players really don't want to sing the Eyes, they won't have to.

[WBT 20443]

1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

It's pretty clear that if players really don't want to sing the Eyes, they won't have to.

When did they ever have to?  Who was in charge of checking the tape to be sure everyone was singing?

[Armybrat 40755]

Yeah, nobody should twist their arm if they don’t want to sing it, but they bygawd sure as hell better sing Texas Fight!

And after the game the whole team, win or lose, should gather in front of the LHB with Horns up to show team unity.  No singing required.

[brakeman 28282]

 

 

 

 

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