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Florida State Song:

Stephen Foster's well loved Swanee River also called Old folks at Home is the state song but it is going to be replaced due to the "politically correctness" movement. Although Foster wrote the song form a old Black man's prospective, possibly from a real life encounter with such a lonely old man, it is somehow deemed "racist" as it uses the word "darkie" which was commonly used in Foster's time and was not meant as a slur in his day. New lyrics were written in an attempt to keep the song but a new song,

 

ORIGINAL LYRICS:

Swanee River

Verse 1:

Way down upon de Swanee ribber,
Far, far away,
Dere's wha my heart is turning ebber,
Dere's wha de old folks stay.

All up and down de whole creation
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for de old plantation
And for de old folks at home.

Chorus:

All de world am sad and dreary,
Ebry where I roam,
Oh! darkies how my heart grows weary,
Far from de old folks at home.

Verse 2:

All round de little farm I wandered
When I was young,
Den many happy days I squandered,
Many de songs I sung.

When I was playing wid my brudder
Happy was I
Oh! take me to my kind old mudder,
Dere let me live and die.

Chorus

Verse 3:
One little hut amond de bushes,
One dat I love,
Still sadly to my mem'ry rushes,
No matter where I rove

When will I see de bees a humming
All round de comb?
When will I hear de banjo tumming
Down in my good old home?

Chorus

"MODERN" LYRICS:

Swanee Ruver

Verse 1:

Way down upon the Swanee River,
Far, far away,
There's where my heart is turning ever,
There's where the old folks stay.
All up and down the whole creation,
Sadly I roam,
Still longing for the old plantation,
And for the old folks at home.

Chorus:

All the world is sad and dreary
Everywhere I roam.
O brothers, how my heart grows weary,
Far from the old folks at home.

Verse 2:

All 'round the little farm I wander'd,
When I was young;
Then many happy days I squander'd,
Many the songs I sung.
When I was playing with my brother,
Happy was I.
Oh, take me to my kind old mother,
There let me live and die.

Verse 3:

One little hut among the bushes,
One that I love.
Still sadly to my memory rushes,
No matter where I rove.
When will I see the bees a humming,
All 'round the comb?
When shall I hear the banjo strumming,
Down in my good old home.

 

LYRICS:

Florida, Where The Sawgrass Meets The Sky.

Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky.
Florida, where our hearts will ever lie.
Sitting proud in the ocean like a sentinel true,
Always shielding your own, yet giving welcome.

Florida.
Mocking birds cry and 'gators lie out in the sun.
Bridges span southward to the Keys and rockets skyward run.
The orange blossoms' sweet perfume and fireworks fill the air.
And cultures rich, our native people share.
Florida, where the sawgrass meets the sky.
Florida, where our heats will ever lie

Florida Flags:

Florida has known many flags. Remember St. Augustine was founded in 1565, forty-two years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. It is the oldest continuously occupied city in the United States.

Florida state symbols:

 

Flower Orange blossom
(Citrus sinensis)

 

Orange blossoms
Tree Sabal Palm
(Sabal palmetto)
wpeA.jpg (2958 bytes)
Wildflower Coreopsis
(Coreopsis sp.)
Common name:Tickseed
Coreopsis
Animal Florida Panther
(Felis concolor coryi)
Fl Panther. for web.jpg (73397 bytes)
Bird Northern Mockingbird
(Mimus polyglottos)
Mockingbird
Butterfly Zebra Longwing
(Heliconius charithonia)
wpe9.jpg (10115 bytes)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fish
(salt water)
Atlantic sailfish
(Istiophorus platypterus)
sailfish.jpg (46723 bytes)
Mammal
(marine)
Florida Manatee
(Trichechus manatus latirostris)
Manatee at Sarasotafor web.jpg (345798 bytes)
Mammal
(salt water)
Porpoise
(Tursiops truncates)
dauphin for web.jpg (234214 bytes)
Fish
(fresh water)
Florida Largemouth Bass
(Micropterus salmoides floridanus)
Largemouth Bass
Reptile American Alligator
(Alligator mississippiensis)
wpe8.jpg (26935 bytes)
Shell Horse Conch
(Pleuroploca gigantea)
Horse Conch