When the Saints Go Marching In (sports anthem) explained

The old hymn and jazz tune "When the Saints Go Marching In" is used by several teams in various sports. It may be used as the team's theme song or reserved for when they scored. Liverpool fans used it as a football chant to honour their player Ian St John in the 1960s, a song that was also adopted by other clubs.[1] Southampton Football Club, for example, use it as a football chant as their nickname is The Saints; other football clubs use different variations of the song. It may be used with the standard lyrics, specialized lyrics, or no lyrics at all. When sung by a crowd, it is often started at a very slow tempo, around 70 beats per minute. The next verse is then dramatically sped up to somewhere around 140 beats per minute.

The following is a partial list of its notable uses.

Teams-clubs

American football

Australian rules football

Association football

In various varieties of professional football, the teams using it include (in alphabetical order):

Rugby

Rugby Union

Rugby league

Other sports

In ice hockey:

It is the college basketball fight song of, among others:

In college basketball, it is chanted by the University of Oregon student section (the Oregon Pit Crew), replacing "Saints" with "Ducks".

It is often played by the pep band during breaks in play. However, none of these teams use a true Dixieland version, but a version more suited to a college fight song.

It is played by St. Mary's School Yala, a high school in Kenya, as well as St. Anthony High School in California.

At the 1984 Summer Olympics singer Etta James performed the song during the opening ceremonies.[3]

Versions

St Kilda Saints Football Club version lyrics

This has been in use since the 1970s by the St. Kilda Saints Football Club. The version of the song was recorded by the Fable Singers by permission under license and only mentions the St. Kilda Football Club. The Official St. Kilda Football Club song is played at the ground when the St. Kilda Football Club Players run out before a game and after a St. Kilda victory in the Australian Football League, followed by a hearty rendition of the song by the players in the rooms after the match (it is broadcast by permission).

Oh when the Saints, go marching in,

Oh when the Saints go marching in,

Oh how I want to be with St Kilda,

Oh when the Saints go marching in.

Oh when the Saints (Oh when the Saints), go marching in (go marching in),

Oh when the Saints go marching in,

Oh how I want to be with St Kilda,

Oh when the Saints go marching in.

St George Illawarra Dragons

Often sung by the parochial supporters of the Dragons (dubbed the "Dragon Army"), the version of the song used is very similar to St Kilda's. This version does, however, remain loyal to the original, with the third line of both stanzas being "I wanna be in that number". On rare occasion, further verses are sung by the "Dragon Army".

Providence College Friars

Saints was not originally used, but rather Friar Away, a typical college fight song. However, in the 1950s, a local radio station (WPRO-AM) began using it as the theme music to their coverage of Providence College basketball games. The fans took to it so well that it has become the fight song of the college, with Friar Away slipping into obscurity, save for a brief revival in the late 1990s.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Morris, Desmond. 1981. The Soccer Tribe. Cape. 978-0224019354. Chapter 43 Tribal Chants . 304–305.
  2. Web site: 107 Independent Supporters Trust - Rose City Riveters.
  3. Archived at the Wayback Machine: Web site: Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Opening Ceremony Complete . YouTube.

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