Hail State

Hail State
by john clare stokes

Hail dear old Mississippi State
Fight for victory today
Please win this series for Will Clark
Not "The Thrill" William Nuschler of Giants fame
Nor the duo of Palmeiro and Clark of
Thunder of Lightning
But the Brookhaven Bulldog
Homewood born native son
William Clark Stokes
Bulldog fan even before sixty-one
The semi-pro who hurled fastballs in Florida leagues
Cracking leather in earshot of Canaveral's rocketry
Who after years since seeing me in Sopchoppy
Was not, so good to see you
But, you see who State signed from Pascagoula?
Hail dear old Mississippi State
Fight for victory today
Please beat those Bruins for William Clark
Who would have named his first born Bully
Had his sweet Rose Gamillion not had a say
Who believed the only pure color
Was not orange, blue, purple or crimson
but burgundy
And while all the titles went to cheating schools
State and only STATE played by the
official rules.
Hail dear old Mississippi State
Fight for victory today
Please give one title to William Clark
Who for his entire life stayed the course
Rang the cow bell when others sat silent
Wore forever the burgundy poly coaching shorts
Learned braille just so he could
make the blind see
The only thing you need to be
is a blindly loyal
Mississippi State
BULLDOG.