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Maryland may repeal state song, a Confederate call to arms

House Speaker Adrienne Jones said it no longer represented what Maryland stands for, especially given the nationwide protests against racial injustice.

Credit: AP

FILE-In this Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020 photo, Maryland House Speaker Adrienne Jones is seen during an interview with The Associated Press in Annapolis, Md. A measure in Maryland to repeal the state-song status of a poem that refers to President Abraham Lincoln as a despot and includes a reference to "Northern scum" is finding strong support among state lawmakers. Jones, a Democrat who became the state's first Black and first female speaker last year, is confident a repeal will finally pass in the legislative session that begins in January. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After decades of debate, legislators in Maryland finally seem ready to repeal the state song.

"Maryland, My Maryland" was written in 1861 as a call to arms for the Confederacy. It refers to President Abraham Lincoln as a despot and urges defiance to the "Northern scum."

Poet James Ryder Randall was among many Marylanders who sided against the Union.

The lyrics were set to the traditional seasonal tune of "O Tannenbaum," and it was adopted as the state song in 1939.

House Speaker Adrienne Jones said it no longer represents what Maryland stands for, especially given the nationwide protests against racial injustice.