“Texas, Our Texas” was adopted as the official state song in 1929, following a statewide competition organized by the Texas Legislature and the Texas Public School Teachers Association.
The winning entry, selected among hundreds, was composed by William J. Marsh, with lyrics co-written by Marsh and Gladys Yoakum Wright.
Marsh, who composed the melody, was born in Liverpool, England in 1880 and immigrated to Texas as a child. Despite his foreign birth, he developed a strong identification with his adopted state and wrote several patriotic pieces dedicated to Texas. He worked as the director of choral activities at Texas Christian University.
Wright, Marsh’s lyricist collaborator, was a native Texan and public school teacher with a background in poetry and education. Her involvement helped shape the song’s didactic tone, making it suitable for classroom and civic use. She was the step-daughter of a state legislator and she was living in St. Louis with her teenage son at the time the song was written.
Prior to the adoption of “Texas, Our Texas,” several other songs competed informally for the role of state favorite, including “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and “Dixie,” both of which are now considered controversial.
Lawmakers wanted something more ceremonial for use in schools and state functions. The lyrics of “Texas, Our Texas” emphasize loyalty, state pride, and historical endurance. Phrases like “withstanding every test” and “you stand supremely blest” reflect the tone of the late 1920s, when Texans looked to their past for strength and self-definition.
After the song’s adoption in 1929, printed sheet music and lyrics were sent to Texas schools, courthouses, and libraries to promote uniform use.
Originally, the song referred to Texas as the “largest and grandest” state. That changed in 1959 after Alaska’s admission to the Union made it physically larger than Texas. The lyrics were officially revised to “boldest and grandest,” a compromise that preserved the song’s rhythm and sentiment.
While “Texas, Our Texas” is the state’s official anthem, it is not the most widely recognized. “Deep in the Heart of Texas” and university songs like “The Eyes of Texas Are Upon Us” are more commonly performed. The latter has been called an “unofficial state song.”
Still, the official song is regularly performed at state ceremonies, school events, and legislative sessions, where it accompanies other civic rituals such as pledges to the Texas and U.S. flags. The song is often played during the inauguration of Texas governors, along with military honors and the reading of official oaths, as part of the traditional ceremonial script. The Texas Education Agency recommended regular singing of the state song in public schools during much of the 20th century, though this was not strictly enforced. Some older Texans still recall singing it weekly in school assemblies.
“Texas, Our Texas” is less familiar to many Texans than other cultural symbols, yet it remains part of the formal identity of the state.
