Original lyrics (1873)
- I.
- My father sent me to old Rutgers,
- And resolv'd that I should be a man;
- And so I settled down,
- In that noisy college town,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- On the banks of the old Raritan, my boys,
- where old Rutgers ever more shall stand,
- For has she not stood since the time of the flood,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- II.
- As Fresh, they used me rather roughly,
- But I the fearful gauntlet ran,
- And they shook me so about
- That they turned me inside out,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- III.
- I passed through all these tortures nobly,
- And then, as Soph, my turn began,
- And I hazed the poor Fresh so,
- That they longed for Heaven, I know,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- IV.
- And then I rested at my pleasure,
- And steered quite clear of Prex's ban,
- And the stars their good-bye kissing
- Found me not from euchre missing,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- V.
- And soon I made my social entrée
- When I laid full many a wicked plan,
- And by my cunning art
- Slew many a maiden's heart,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- VI.
- Then sing aloud to Alma Mater,
- And keep the Scarlet in the van;
- For with her motto high
- Rutgers' name shall never die
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
|
Revised lyrics (1914)
- I.
- My father sent me to old Rutgers,
- And resolv'd that I should be a man;
- And so I settled down,
- In that noisy college town,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- On the banks of the old Raritan, my boys,β
- where old Rutgers ever more shall stand,
- For has she not stood since the time of the flood,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- II.
- Her ardent spirit stirred and cheered me
- From the day me college years began;
- Gracious Alma Mater mine;
- Learning's fair and honored shrine;
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- III.
- I love her flaming far-flung banner
- I love her triumphs proud to scan,
- And I glory in her fame
- That's immortalized her name.
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- IV.
- My heart clings closer than the ivy
- As life runs out its fleeting span,
- To the stately, ancient walls
- Of her hallowed, classic halls
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- V.
- Then sing aloud to Alma Mater,
- And keep the scarlet in the van';
- For with her motto high,
- Rutgers' name shall never die,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
|
Revised lyrics (2013)α
- I.
- From far and near we came to Rutgers,
- And resolved to learn all that we can;
- And so we settled down,
- in that noisy college town,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- On the banks of the old Raritan, my friends,
- where old Rutgers ever more shall stand,
- For has she not stood since the time of the flood,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- II.
- Her ardent spirit stirred and cheered me
- From the day me college years began;
- Gracious Alma Mater mine;
- Learning's fair and honored shrine;
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- III.
- I love her flaming far-flung banner
- I love her triumphs proud to scan,
- And I glory in her fame
- That's immortalized her name.
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- IV.
- My heart clings closer than the ivy
- As life runs out its fleeting span,
- To the stately, ancient walls
- Of her hallowed, classic halls
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
- V.
- Then sing aloud to Alma Mater,
- And keep the scarlet in the van';
- For with her motto high,
- Rutgers' name shall never die,
- On the banks of the old Raritan.
- (Chorus)
|