House adjourns to "Texas, Our Texas": 80th year for state song

Historical note: The House just adjourned to the singing of the rarely heard official state song, Texas, Our Texas, adopted 80 years ago.

For the record, the song's composer was William Marsh of Fort Worth, a Liverpool, England native who was the organist for two local churches and a synagogue. Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright of Fort Worth collaborated on the words.

For more than 20 years, Marsh was also the music critic for the Star-Telegram. Marsh died at 90 in 1971. Wright had died in 1956 at 64.

The song has always been played at formal state events and Texas A&M University football games, as sort of a token comeback to The Eyes of Texas. Some political groups now sing it and emphasize the chorus: "God bless you, Texas."

--Bud Kennedy