The Victors

"The Victors" is the University of Michigan's fight song. It was written by Louis Elbel in 1898, in response to a U-M football conference championship win against Chicago. Performed regularly by the Michigan Marching Band, it is considered (by some people) to be among the best college fight songs:

Now for a cheer they are here,
triumphant!
Here they come with banners flying,
In stalwart step they're nighing,
With shouts of vict'ry crying,
We hurrah, hurrah, we greet you now,
Hail!

Far we their praises sing
For the glory and fame they've bro't us
Loud let the bells them ring
For here they come with banners flying
Far we their praises tell
For the glory and fame they've bro't us
Loud let the bells them ring
For here they come with banners flying
Here they come, Hurrah!

Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
the leaders and best
Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan,
the champions of the West!

We cheer them again
We cheer and cheer again
For Michigan, we cheer for Michigan
We cheer with might and main
We cheer, cheer, cheer
With might and main we cheer!

Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan,
the champions of the West!

Unwritten, but interesting to contemplate opera by Richard Wagner, his last work. In it, a great lady recognizes the Buddha from another life, when they were lovers. Tragically, she must come to grips with the fact that that part of his evolution is far, far behind him. What makes it especially intreguing is that the pair must realize their affection over lines of race and class...that is to say, there is a chance that if this work had stood as his culmination, the ideology of Nazism would have been forever weakened...