I'm a Tar Heel Born

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I'm a Tar Heel Born is the official fight song of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It originated in the late 1920's as an add-on (or tag) to the school's alma mater, Hark The Sound. Just before home football and basketball games, the song is played by the Bell Tower near the center of campus, and is often played after major victories. ^[1]

[edit] Lyrics

I'm a Tar Heel born, I'm a Tar Heel bred.
And when I die, I'm a Tar Heel dead.
So it's rah-rah, Car'lina-'lina!
Rah-rah, Car'lina-'lina!
Rah-rah, Car'lina-Rah, rah, rah!

Rah, rah, rah! is rarely, if ever, sung. Most of the time, it is replaced with Go to hell, Duke!, a jab at Carolina's major athletic rival. This version is usually heard during basketball season and at non-revenue sporting events, regardless of opponent.

Much debate lingers over the last line during football season. Carolina's traditional football rival is fellow state school North Carolina State. For many years, the variation Go to hell, State! was used during football season, and this version was known to have been taught at freshman orientation well into the 1990s. However, it is not unheard of for the Duke variation to be sung during football season, especially among younger fans. Other variations occasionally appear. For instance, during a 1996 football game in which the Tar Heels routed Clemson 45-0, some students were heard replacing the last line with Clemson sucks!

The song is almost always played immediately after the singing of Hark The Sound, even during convocations and commencements.

[edit] References

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v • d • e Official fight songs of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) For Boston (Boston College) • Tiger Rag (Clemson) • Fight! Blue Devils, Fight! & Blue and White (Duke) • FSU Fight Song (Florida State) • Ramblin' Wreck from Georgia Tech (Georgia Tech) • Maryland Fight Song (Maryland) • Miami U & Hail to the Spirit of Miami U (Miami) • NCSU Fight Song (NC State)  • I'm a Tar Heel Born & Here Comes Carolina (North Carolina) • The Cavalier Song (Virginia) • Tech Triumph (Virginia Tech) • O Here's to Wake Forest (Wake Forest)