Unfortunately, the band has only played the chorus part for decades, ignoring the stirring melody of the preceding verse that builds to that climactic chorus. Many if not most do not know the different melody that accompanies the opening lyrics. I wrote former WVU Marching Band Director Don Wilcox in the late 1990s to register my longstanding pet peeve in this regard. He cited pregame show tradition and time constraints, but ultimately agreed and had the band actually incorporate the entire song - with both verse and chorus melodies - into the band’s pregame show. I was thrilled. After several years, the band stopped playing the entire fight song and reverted solely to the traditional rendition of the chorus. I thought that the band could at least play the entire song while seated during the game. I chuckle when the above lyrics to the fight song appear on the side scoreboards, and unknowing fans attempt to sing the opening stanza to the melody of the CHORUS. It is sad. It is a great, two-part melody that builds to the chorus, and has essentially been ignored by the band in my 60+ years of attending WVU games.
Carolina fan here, but always like it when we play you guys. All this time I thought the first verse went with the beginning of the song in a different key. The melody certainly fits.
Unfortunately, the band has only played the chorus part for decades, ignoring the stirring melody of the preceding verse that builds to that climactic chorus. Many if not most do not know the different melody that accompanies the opening lyrics.
I wrote former WVU Marching Band Director Don Wilcox in the late 1990s to register my longstanding pet peeve in this regard. He cited pregame show tradition and time constraints, but ultimately agreed and had the band actually incorporate the entire song - with both verse and chorus melodies - into the band’s pregame show. I was thrilled. After several years, the band stopped playing the entire fight song and reverted solely to the traditional rendition of the chorus. I thought that the band could at least play the entire song while seated during the game.
I chuckle when the above lyrics to the fight song appear on the side scoreboards, and unknowing fans attempt to sing the opening stanza to the melody of the CHORUS. It is sad. It is a great, two-part melody that builds to the chorus, and has essentially been ignored by the band in my 60+ years of attending WVU games.
Carolina fan here, but always like it when we play you guys. All this time I thought the first verse went with the beginning of the song in a different key. The melody certainly fits.
0:12
1:32
The band should bring this back. Those of us who know all the words have nowhere to sing.
I spent much of my early childhood in the press box at both the old and new mountaineer fields. I keep this as a ringtone.
It's on the Mountaineer Spirit CD produced by MSN.
i like when the song is playing it goes to a older verson with old mountianeer field an it swiches to the field of today and showed major harris
Is that last bit starting at 1:32 from somewhere? It sounds really familiar (that is, from something other than the fight song).
That's the tag ending. They play it at the end of pregame or concerts. It's also the introduction from Country Roads.
#HAILWV !
WVU is so bad it entertains me
???