Better understanding of fight song could boost Drake spirit

Column by Austin Cannon

Photo by Taylor Soule

OK, so who here can sing the Drake fight song, “The ‘D’ Song,” off the top of their heads?

I’m assuming very few, if any, of you can.

I certainly cannot. I can do the first line, and that’s about it.

I was at the football game on Saturday and even the rather elderly alumni sitting next to me didn’t sing it.

If you’ve ever gone to a football or basketball game, you know the tune. Just not those pesky words.

So, hear it is in all its glory:

Here’s to the one who wears the “D,”

Makes a good fight for varsity,

Here’s to those who’ve fought and won,

Made a good fight as a true Drake alum,

Here’s to the one who’s brave and bold,

Ready to battle like days of old,

Fights like a Bulldog for victory,

Oh, here’s to the one who wears the “D.”

If you’d like to hear how it sounds, the Brochal Chords do an excellent rendition you can find on YouTube.

Once you get past the, um, inappropriate connotations (that we won’t discuss because this is an upstanding, family newspaper) it seems pretty easy to learn.

It gets even easier, too.

If you’ve managed to wander down to the Knapp Center this semester, you might have noticed a couple new additions. There are now two large banners, adjacent to both scoreboards, that each display the fight song.

So, now when the band strikes up the song, you can clap and sing.

Oh, hey, school spirit. Didn’t see you there.

According to Drake Blue, the Drake alumni magazine website, “Here’s to the Man Who Wears the ‘D’” was written by an unknown author in the early 20th century. The title was changed to simpler “The ‘D’ Song” for political correctness.

It’s been around for a while, but you can’t really blame today’s students for not knowing it.

We aren’t a large state school. We don’t have the millions upon millions of dollars to filter into our athletic department like they do. We’re academically focused, not athletically.

Because of that, there isn’t exactly an abundance of athletic school spirit. With the exception of Relays, student attendance at Bulldog sporting events isn’t high.

That’s why people don’t know the fight song. The only place you have the opportunity to sing it is at a game, and, besides the occasional basketball game, most Drake students don’t go.

Prove me wrong. Go to a game, sing the fight song and show some school spirit.