I'm a Tar Heel Born

"I'm a Tar Heel Born" is the official fight song of the University of North Carolina. It originated in the late 1800s or early 1900s as an add-on (or "tag") to the school's alma mater, "Hark The Sound". It was sung at a 1903 baseball game against Brown University, and was soon after adapted for the Brown University fight song “I’m a Brown Man Born”.^[1]^[2] The song was also adapted for the University of Rhode Island's fight song "We're Rhode Island Born", as well as the tag in the University of Oklahoma's fight song Boomer Sooner in 1906.^[3] Today, the song is almost always played immediately after the singing of "Hark The Sound", even during more formal occasions such as convocation and commencement. 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.^[4]^[5] Bleacher Report raked it as the 24th best college football fight song.^[6]

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-'lina!
Rah, rah, rah!

Rah, rah, rah! is rarely sung, except by older fans. From the 1970s through the early 1990s, it was usually replaced by "Go to hell State!"; N.C. State was UNC's major athletic rival in sports other than basketball for most of the 20th century. Since the early 1990s, it has usually been replaced with Go to hell, Duke! The State variation was taught at freshman orientation well into the 1990s. However, currently freshmen are taught that even when playing the Wolfpack, the correct refrain is "Go to hell Duke!"

The traditional "Go To hell State!" is still commonly used during the football season. However, it is the Duke variation that has become popular in recent years, especially among younger fans unaware of past tradition.^{[citation needed]} 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! Also, during the Tar Heels' unexpected run to the 2000 Final Four, students replaced the last line with Go to hell, Florida!

References

^ Mitchell, Martha (1993). "Encyclopedia Brunoniana". www.brown.edu. Brown University Library. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
^ https://uncatoz.com/entry/alma-mater-hark-the-sound/
^ "Fight Songs". SooonerSports.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-23. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
^ Church, Kaitlyn (August 27, 2023). "UNC football cheers and traditions to know before game day". DailyTarHeel.com. The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
^ Byrd, Brandon (February 21, 2017). "Tar Heels, Alive". ThePointMagazine.com. The Point Magazine. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
^ Daughters, Amy (October 12, 2011). "Ranking the Top 50 College Football Fight Songs". BleacherReport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 12, 2023.