Symbols of Oklahoma: Appreciating Oklahoma's Identity
Cortney Stone
Curator of Education
What is a symbol?
A symbol is a short and simple way to suggest another person, place, or
thing. Even people who cannot read can look at a symbol and understand
what it means. Symbols can represent something small, like an idea, a
business, or a club, or they can represent something as large as an entire
state or country. Symbols are often what people associate with something.
For example, when someone says "summer," you may think of ice cream,
the sun, and swimming. Those can be symbols of summer.
Every state in the United States has its own set of official symbols: a flag, a
state seal, and a motto. These official symbols represent the identity of the
state. Many states have chosen animals, plants, and other things from the
state as symbols. There are different categories, including state bird, state
flower, and state rock. Oklahoma has over 40 state symbols!
To choose an official state symbol, people can suggest different ideas and
then decide which one best represents the state. Sometimes people choose
symbols by voting. The state legislature establishes symbols by passing
resolutions, which only express intent or sentiment, and some of those
resolutions become codified in the Oklahoma statutes. The symbols in this
guide are official symbols recognized by the Oklahoma state legislature and
codified into state statutes.
Teaching Students about Oklahoma Symbols
The study of Oklahoma symbols plays an important role in meeting the new
academic standards established by the State Board of Education in 2012.
Several of the symbols, such as the state flag and the state seal, are
mandatory components of the C3 Standards for Social Studies. Other
symbols fit in with science and art. Studying Oklahoma's plant and animal
symbols can help students understand biology and the state's ecology, and
studying the different cultural symbols can help students appreciate music,
poetry, and artwork. Overall, studying the symbols gives students a
comprehensive view of Oklahoma's culture, ecology, and history. This can
help students appreciate the unique identity of Oklahoma. Such sentiment
can make an impact on the future of our state. When students understand
what makes Oklahoma such a colorful place that is rich with life and culture,
they can begin to become informed citizens who take pride in their state and
want to contribute to its progress.
Problems with Teaching Oklahoma Symbols
Every subject in history has controversy, and Oklahoma symbols are no
exception. As an educator, you will encounter two major sources of
confusion and complexity among Oklahoma symbols: replacement and
redundancy. The Oklahoma legislature has changed three of the symbols
due to controversy: the flag, the flower/floral emblem, and the state song.
Several symbols seem to be redundant; for example, there are many
subcategories for plants, animals, and songs. It is almost as if someone was
afraid of leaving something out!
State Seal
The state seal is Oklahoma's first
state symbol. The Oklahoma
Constitutional Convention wrote a
specific description of it into the
state Constitution because it was
one of the first things the new state
needed. Seals are essential for any
government because officials have
to use them to validate government
documents. Because it was for
making impressions into important
government papers, the original seal did not have colors. Some artists have
added blue, gold, and green to it to brighten it up.
The state seal is a tribute to the different cultures in our state and it has a
tremendous amount of detail and symbolism. The seal consists of a large
star surrounded by 45 small stars
that represent the 45 states in the
United States prior to Oklahoma's
entry into the union. The five arms of
the large star have the seals of the
Five Tribes. Clockwise from the top,
they are the Chickasaw Nation, the
Choctaw Nation, the Seminole Nation,
the Muskogee Creek Nation, and the
Cherokee Nation. The seal in the
center of the star is the original seal
of the Territory of Oklahoma. This seal within a seal shows an American
farmer shaking hands with a Native American, symbolizing peace and unity
between the two cultures. Columbia, a symbol of the United States, stands
behind them holding scales that represent justice, and the background has
scenes of Native American life and American modernization. Olive branches
representing peace surround the image. The words above them – Labor
Omnia Vincit – are the state motto, which means, "Labor conquers all." The
line comes from Georgics by Virgil, a Roman poet. Virgil wrote Georgics as
propaganda encouraging Roman citizens to take up farming in spite of its
challenges.
State Flag
Oklahoma's first state flag was a simple
red field with a white star in the center.
The white star had the number 46
inside it, representing Oklahoma as the
46th state in the union. The Oklahoma
legislature adopted it in 1911. However,
during the 1910s and 1920s, many
Oklahomans began to associate the red flag with Communism and labeled it
the "red rag of sedition." Oklahoma soldiers did not want to carry the flag
because it looked like an enemy's flag. Others felt that the design lacked
significance or positive meaning. It reminded them of the red flags people
would hang on a house to warn visitors that a resident had a contagious
disease.
In the mid-1920s, Joseph Thoburn, the executive secretary of the Oklahoma
Historical Society, worked with the local chapter of the Daughters of the
American Revolution and held a contest where artists could submit designs
for a new flag.
The winner was Louise Funk Fluke, an Oklahoma artist who had attended
Columbia University and the Chicago Art Institute. Fluke had consulted with
Thoburn about Native American lore and she drew inspiration from Native
American artifacts at the Historical Society. One of the items, an Osage
shield, is on exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center today.
The official description from the Oklahoma Statutes describes the flag as
such:
A sky-blue field with a circular rawhide shield of an American Indian
Warrior, decorated with six painted crosses on the face thereof, the lower
half of the shield to be fringed with seven pendant eagle feathers and
superinduced upon the face of the shield a calumet or peace pipe, crossed
at right angles by an olive branch as illustrated by the design
accompanying this resolution.
According to Fluke, almost every
aspect of the flag has an important
meaning. The blue field represents
devotion. The shield represents
engaging in warfare only when it is
necessary for defense, and the
crosses on the shield are a
traditional Osage motif that
represents stars. The feathers do not have any meaning; Fluke merely
copied them from the original shield. The peace pipe and olive branch
crossed over the shield show that peace is above all. Fluke said that the
entire flag represents Oklahomans united in peace.
The Oklahoma legislature adopted the new flag on April 2, 1925, and they
added the word "Oklahoma" to it in 1941.
State Colors
Oklahoma's official state colors are green and white. In 1915, the
Ohoyohoma Circle, which consisted of the wives of members of the state
legislature, petitioned the legislature to adopt the colors. The legislature
codified them that same year.
State Bird
Oklahoma's official state bird is the
scissor-tailed flycatcher. This small
bird has a very distinctive long tail
that consists of two long feathers that
open and close like a pair of scissors.
As the name implies, scissor-tailed
flycatchers eat insects, including
grasshoppers that are harmful to
crops, so the bird plays an important role in Oklahoma's agriculture. These
birds live on the prairie near trees and bushes where they nest. Scissortailed flycatchers will aggressively defend these nests, even against bigger
birds. Oklahomans can find scissor-tailed flycatchers perched on barbed wire
fences during spring, summer, and fall when the birds migrate here. They
migrate to Central and South America during the winter.
According to the Oklahoma Ornithological Society, the scissor-tailed
flycatcher was not the first bird chosen. During the 1920s, the Oklahoma
chapter of the Federation of Women's Clubs wanted the Northern Bobwhite
(quail) to be the state bird, but they did not ask the state legislature to take
action. In 1951, the Tulsa Audubon Society asked the state legislature to
make the scissor-tailed flycatcher the state bird, and the legislature made it
official via a statute.
State Game Bird
Oklahoma's official game bird is the
wild turkey. Wild turkeys live
throughout Oklahoma and nest under
bushes and logs. They eat insects,
berries, and acorns, and occasionally
they will feed on crops. They have
shiny copper-colored feathers and
brown and black tail feathers with
cream-colored tips, heads are bald with blue skin and red or purple wattles.
Male turkeys have tufts called "beards" in the middle of their chests.
The Oklahoma legislature made the wild turkey the official state game bird
in 2006 and codified it in a statute.
State Flying Mammal
The official state flying mammal
of Oklahoma is the Mexican freetailed bat. These nocturnal
animals hunt insects by using
echolocation, and many people
appreciate the fact that these
bats help control the mosquito
population. Mexican free-tailed
bats live in gypsum caves in
western Oklahoma, and people can observe them leaving their caves in large
groups in the evenings. The bats migrate to South America during the
winter.
Humans are a threat to Mexican free-tailed bat populations. Some people
use pesticides that are harmful to the bats, and they destroy or reduce the
bats' natural habitats. After noting a decline in bat populations, the
Oklahoma Wildlife Department purchased the Selman Bat Cave and the area
around it in 1997. This cave is important to Mexican free-tailed bats because
it is where they prefer to raise their young. The Wildlife Department can now
protect the cave and keep people from building roads, homes, and
businesses nearby. They can also stop people from wandering too close and
disturbing the bats. In fact, even researchers never enter the caves.
Instead, they use infrared video cameras to observe the bats as they leave
and enter the caves at night.
University of Central Oklahoma professor William Caire proposed making the
Mexican free-tailed bat the state flying mammal, and the legislature
established the designation as a statute in 2006.
State Fish
Oklahoma's official state fish is the white
bass, also known as the sand bass.
White bass are silver with narrow
horizontal black stripes on their sides.
The Oklahoma legislature established it
as the state fish in 1974, and it represents the importance of lakes and sport
fishing in Oklahoma.
State Butterfly
The state butterfly of Oklahoma is the black
swallowtail. Like all butterflies, black swallowtails go
through metamorphosis. Black swallowtails start out
as yellow and black caterpillars that hatch from eggs
and like to eat dill weed. Then, they become pupa and
eventually emerge as adult butterflies with black wings
with yellow spots. Females have blue patches on their
lower wings, while males do not. They feed on nectar
from brightly colored flowers.
The Oklahoma legislature established the black swallowtail as the state
butterfly in 1996.
State Dinosaur
Oklahoma even has its own official state
dinosaur: the Acrocanthosaurus atokensis. The
Oklahoma legislature adopted and codified this
symbol in 2006. Paleontologists discovered the
first evidence of this dinosaur in the 1940s in
Atoka County, hence the atokensis in its
name. They also found part of a skeleton in
McCurtain County in the 1980s. Fossil evidence indicates that the
Acrocanthosaurus atokensis is similar to the Tyrannosaurus rex, but it is
millions of years older. It has spines on its back and three six-inch claws on
each forearm.
State Flower and Floral Emblem
For decades, Oklahoma's state flower
has been a source of controversy
and confusion. One can trace this
back to a resident who lived during
Oklahoma's territorial days: Mrs. O.
Beeson. She was the biggest
supporter of mistletoe as the official
flower of the territory and as
Oklahoma's floral exhibit at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. In 1893, she
persuaded territorial Representative J. A. Wimberly to help establish
mistletoe as the official territorial flower. Though others lobbied for the
passionflower, mistletoe won out.
After Oklahoma became a state in 1907, Senator John Golobie, who came to
Oklahoma in the 1889 land run, filed a bill to retain mistletoe as the state
flower. He argued that during the harsh winter of 1889, it was the only flora
available to place on the graves of those who had died. This argument
convinced the legislature that mistletoe had a special meaning for
Oklahoma. Golobie's bill became law in 1910.
Unfortunately, this was quite controversial. Many people pointed out that
mistletoe was not a good representative of Oklahoma because it is a parasite
that lacks showy flowers. The plant is actually hemiparasitic, which means
that it produces its own chlorophyll but takes vital nutrients from the trees
on which it grows. Eventually, an increasing number of Oklahomans began
calling for a new state flower.
In 1964, Herbert Swim, a horticulturist
and master hybridizer at Oklahoma
State University, developed the
Oklahoma rose. This type of hybrid rose
has enormous red blooms and a
pleasant sweet scent. An Oklahoma City
florist named Dottie Weissenberger took
notice and started campaigning for the
legislature to make this new Oklahomagrown rose the new state flower. The first legislative proposal failed to pass
in 1967, but it succeeded in 2003. The state legislature codified it as a law in
2004. Some people still mistakenly believe that the mistletoe is still the state
flower, but the legislature merely changed it to the state floral emblem.
State Wildflower
In the middle of the mistletoe controversy, the Oklahoma legislature
established the Indian Blanket as the official state wildflower in 1986. This
led to some believing that the Indian Blanket was the new state flower.
Indian Blanket is a distinctive wildflower that is
tolerant of Oklahoma's hot and dry weather. It has
a central root system, and the petals are yellow at
the tips and red toward the center of the flower,
which blooms in early summer. The Indian Blanket
represents Oklahoma's natural beauty and Native
American heritage.
State Tree
Oklahoma's official state tree is the
redbud, a medium-sized tree that is
native to Oklahoma. The tree has heartshaped leaves and purple-pink flowers
that bloom in April. The flowers are edible
and some people use them in salads and
baked goods.
The redbud's journey to becoming a state
symbol began in the 1930s. Maimee Lee
Robinson Browne, chairperson of the Oklahoma City Beautification
Committee, petitioned the state legislature to make the redbud the state
tree. The legislature responded by passing a Senate Joint Resolution in 1937
that made the redbud an emblem. In 1971, the redbud officially became the
state tree.
State Fruit
Oklahoma's official state fruit is the strawberry,
an important crop in the state's agriculture
industry. In 2005, elementary students from
Skiatook had their school vote to choose the state
fruit. The strawberry won, narrowly defeating the
watermelon. The students used the results to
petition the legislature, which then established the
strawberry as the state fruit that same year.
State Vegetable
In 2005, the Oklahoma legislature established watermelon as the official
state vegetable. Like with the state flower, this too became a source of
confusion. Many people say that the watermelon is actually a fruit so it can't
be the state vegetable.
To understand how a fruit became the state
vegetable, you must first understand the
definitions of "fruit" and "vegetable." Fruit grows
from flowers, and vegetables are plants that
people grow as food. For example, carrots are
vegetables, but they are not fruit because they
are the roots of the plant. Strawberries and
watermelons are fruit because they come from the flowers of the plant.
However, because people grow watermelons as food, they can count as
vegetables. That is how the watermelon became our state vegetable. Many
students (and some adults) will be baffled by all this, so offer this
explanation only if you feel it is appropriate for your class.
State Drink
Oklahoma's official state beverage is milk, which represents the importance
of the dairy industry and agricultural life in Oklahoma. The state legislature
established this designation in 2002.
State Rock
The official state rock is the rose rock, also known as
the barite rose. One can find rose rocks throughout
central Oklahoma and the Wichita and Ouachita
mountains. They are made of barite and sand that
forms a particular pattern that looks like a rose. The
distinctive red color comes from red sandstone. Rose
rocks formed millions of years ago when the ocean covered Oklahoma. Many
rose rocks are small enough to fit in your hand, but the biggest specimen
was 17 inches in diameter and weighed 125 pounds.
In the 1960s, rock collectors petitioned the state government to make the
rose rock the official state rock. The state legislature agreed and established
the designation in 1968.
State Crystal
Oklahoma's state crystal is the hourglass selenite. Selenite crystals occur
throughout the world, but ones with the distinctive inner hourglass shape
form only at the Great Salt Plains in Oklahoma. The shape comes from iron
oxide in the soil.
In 2005, elementary school students from Bryant and Red
Oak Schools petitioned the legislature to make the
hourglass selenite the state gem. The legislature modified
the title to "state crystal" and codified it as an official
symbol.
State Fossil
Oklahoma's official state fossil is the
Saurophaganax Maximus, a dinosaur whose
name means "king of the reptile eaters." The
Oklahoma legislature established it in 2000 as
a representative of the state's contributions to
paleontology.
This is a separate distinction from the official state dinosaur. The official
state fossil celebrates paleontology, which studies all prehistoric life, not just
dinosaurs. Fossils can come from other types of animals or even plants.
State Cartoon Character
GUSTY is Oklahoma's official state cartoon
character, thanks to a statute established in 2005.
Don Woods, a weatherman from Tulsa, created the
character in 1954 as a way to illustrate the weather
forecast. Sometimes he drew GUSTY enjoying the
warm sunshine or diving for cover in a "Frady Hole" during a tornado.
State Song
Oklahoma's state song is another symbol that has changed due to
controversy. In 1935, the state legislature established "Oklahoma, A Toast"
as the state song. For the next two decades, some Oklahomans were quite
dissatisfied with the song. They claimed that it was too slow and too much
like a funeral dirge.
In 1953, State Senator George Nigh proposed changing the state song to
"Oklahoma!," a fresh new tune from a musical and a movie of the same
name. Some legislators and their constituents complained that it would be a
poor choice. They worried that it would be too difficult for children to learn
how to sing this song – an argument that many children have since
disproved – and they did not like the "slangy lyrics." Others pointed out that
the composers, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, were not from
Oklahoma. However, Rodgers and Hammerstein had based the musical on
Green Grow the Lilacs, a play written by Oklahoman Lynn Riggs. Supporters
of the song felt that the musical had improved Oklahoma's national image
after the devastation of the Dust Bowl years.
In spite of the dissention, "Oklahoma!" became the new state song in 1953.
Oscar Hammerstein responded to the news with a letter that said,
So tell your readers, and all the people of Oklahoma that not only may
they play it and sing it anywhere and everywhere to their heart's content
but that we want them and urge them to do so. Songwriters write songs
for people to sing and nothing makes them happier than to know that
their song is being sung. Mr. Rodgers and I are very proud that our song
has been adopted by your State. Play it and sing it loud and long and
often!
State Folk Song
Oklahoma's official state folk song is "Oklahoma
Hills" by Woody Guthrie and Jack Guthrie. Woody
Guthrie, who was born and raised in Okemah,
wrote over a thousand songs and poems and he
influenced many singers and songwriters
throughout the United States and beyond. Jack
Guthrie was Woody's cousin. The lyrics of
"Oklahoma Hills" are Woody Guthrie's tribute to growing up in Oklahoma.
State Children's Song
In 1994, Martha Kemm Barrett, an elementary school teacher from Broken
Arrow, wrote a song entitled "Oklahoma, My Native Land." It became the
official state children's song in 1996. The lyrics contain many references to
Oklahoma's symbols and heritage.
State Gospel Song
Oklahoma's official state gospel song is "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot." The
song's author is Wallace Willis, an African-American man who used to be a
slave in the Choctaw Nation in Indian Territory. The Red River, which made
Willis think of the Jordan River in the Bible, inspired some of the lyrics of
"Swing Low Sweet Chariot." Willis used to write songs to sing in the fields
while he worked and his wife Minerva would sing with him. Their songs
became very famous thanks to the Jubilee Singers of Fisk University, who
performed the songs throughout the United States and abroad. The state
legislature made "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" the official state gospel song in
2011.
State Percussive Instrument
In 1993, the state legislature added a statute establishing
the drum as the official state instrument. Drums are a vital
part of many types of music in Oklahoma, ranging from
Native American ceremonial rhythms to country, folk, jazz,
and rock music.
State Symbols Established by House or Senate Resolutions
Emblem
Name
Year Established
Amphibian
Bullfrog
1997
Animal
American bison
1972
Country song
"Faded Love" by Bob Wills
1988
Dance
Waltz
1982
Folk Dance
Square Dance
1988
Furbearer
Raccoon
1990
Game Animal
Whitetail deer
1990
Grass
Indian grass
1972
Insect
European honeybee
1992
Meal
Fried okra, squash, cornbread,
1988
barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage
and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries,
chicken fried steak, pecan pie, and
black-eyed peas
Monument
Golden Driller
1979
Musical Instrument Fiddle
1984
Pin
"OK" Pin
1982
Poem
"Howdy Folks"
1941
Reptile
Eastern Collared Lizard
1969
Soil
Port Silt Loam (red dirt)
1987
Tartan
Red, white, black, and gold on blue
1999
Theater group
Lynn Riggs Players of Oklahoma,
1961
Waltz song
Inc.
"Oklahoma
Wind"
1982
Western Band
Sounds of the Southwest
1997
Classroom Activities
There are several classroom activities that will help teach your students
about the symbols of Oklahoma. Some of the activities satisfy state
academic skills standards.
Choosing a New Symbol
This activity will help students learn about the process for choosing symbols.
First, announce to the class that they will get to choose a new symbol for
Oklahoma or for the class. Ask them to brainstorm ideas while you write
them on the board. Next, have the class discuss the ideas and narrow them
down to the best ones. Encourage students to explain why they feel a
certain symbol is the best choice, and you may hold a vote to determine
which symbol will become "official." Once the class has selected its ideal
symbol, have students use various media to create artistic representations
of the symbol to decorate the classroom.
If the students have chosen a new type of symbol for Oklahoma and they
are feeling ambitious, please contact the state legislators for your district
and see if they would like to bring the proposal to the legislature. Students
have been the catalyst for some of our state symbols in the past, so perhaps
your class could make history too!
Writing about Symbols
For this activity, students will write essays or give oral reports about a
particular state symbol. You may assign a symbol to each student or let him
or her choose from a list. This will help students learn about basic research
and writing methods.
For a creative writing approach, have students write song lyrics or a poem
about Oklahoma that includes references to as many state symbols as
possible. For an example, please see "Oklahoma, My Native Land" by Martha
Kemm Barrett. This will help students learn about the characteristics of
poetry, such as rhyme and rhythm.
Sorting Symbols
Give each student a card with the name and picture of a state symbol. Tell
the class they will work together and classify the symbols. You will be asking
questions about the different properties of symbols, such as color, shape,
size, whether the symbol is living or non-living, and so forth. You may have
the students hold their symbols up or stand with them. If you have enough
room, you can have them form groups for each category.
For example, you may ask, "Who has a symbol that is red or pink?" Students
who have red symbols, such as the strawberry, the watermelon, and the
Oklahoma Rose, will stand up or form a group.
Here is a list of sample questions you may use. Feel free to make up
additional questions for your class. You can make this activity as simple or
as complex as you like.
Who has a symbol that is...

Red or pink?

Blue?

Green?

Yellow?

Eaten as food?

A living organism?

Non-living?

An animal?

A plant?

A nocturnal animal?

Related to music?
Oklahoma Symbols Educational Trunk
For an in-depth study of Oklahoma's symbols, you may check out the
Symbols of Oklahoma educational trunk from the Oklahoma History Center.
The trunk has a curriculum guide, hands-on objects, and other activities
available for classroom use. Please contact the education department at
(405) 522-3602 or education@okhistory.org to schedule a trunk check-out
date.
State Song Lyrics
The following pages have the lyrics for the four official state songs. The
songs are on separate pages so that you may print them out and give them
to your students for analysis and discussion. For official copies of the sheet
music for these songs, please contact the Oklahoma Department of
Libraries.
Oklahoma!
Brand new state! Brand new state, gonna treat you great!
Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters,
Pasture fer the cattle, Spinach and Termayters!
Flowers on the prairie where the June bugs zoom,
Plen'y of air and plen'y of room,
Plen'y of room to swing a rope!
Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope!
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain,
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin' lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say – Yeeow! A-yip-i-o-ee ay!
We're only sayin' you're doin' fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma - O.K.
Oklahoma Hills
Many a month has come and gone
Since I've wandered from my home
In those Oklahoma Hills
Where I was born
Many a page of my life has turned
Many lessons I have learned
And I feel like in those hills
Where I belong
CHORUS:
Way down yonder in the Indian nation
Ridin' my pony on the reservation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
Way down yonder in the Indian nation
A cowboy's life is my occupation
In the Oklahoma Hills where I was born
But as I sit here today
Many miles I am away
From the place I rode my pony
Through the draw
Where the oak and black-jack trees
Kiss the playful prairie breeze
And I feel back in those hills
Where I belong
CHORUS
Now as I turn life a page
To the land of the great Osage
In those Oklahoma hills
Where I was born
Where the black oil rolls and flows
And the snow white cotton grows
And I feel like in those hills
Where I belong
CHORUS
Oklahoma, My Native Land
As I travel the roads of America, such wonderful sights I can see.
But nothing compares to the place I love;
The perfect home for you and for me.
Yes, Oklahoma, my native land.
I am proud to say your future's looking grand.
Yes, Oklahoma, such history.
Ev'ry day you give a gift just for me.
I see a Scissortail Flycatcher cut through the clean air
as mistletoe kisses the branches ev'rywhere.
Redbuds open ev'ry single spring.
I hear a Pow Wow beat the rhythm of the old ways
as oil wells pump back mem'ries of the boom days.
Only Oklahoma has these things.
Yes, Oklahoma, my native land.
I am proud to say your future's looking grand.
Yes, Oklahoma, such history.
Ev'ry day you give a gift just for me.
Perfect home for you.
The perfect home for me.
It's only Oklahoma for me.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home.
I looked over Jordan, and what did I see,
Comin' for to carry me home,
A band of angels comin' after me,
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home.
If you get there before I do,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Tell all my friends I'm comin' too,
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home.
I'm sometimes up and sometimes down,
Comin' for to carry me home,
But still my soul feels heavenly bound,
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home.
The brightest day that I can say,
Comin' for to carry me home,
When Jesus washed my sins away,
Comin' for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home,
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Comin' for to carry me home.
Bibliography
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture,
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/ (9 August 2012).
"Fruit or Vegetable?" Oklahoma 4H,
http://oklahoma4h.okstate.edu/aitc/lessons/upper/fruitveg.pdf (9 August
2012).
Hickman, Mrs. Andrew R. "The State Flag of Oklahoma." Chronicles of
Oklahoma 9, no. 1 (March 1931): 10-11.
Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov (9 August 2012).
"McCurtain County's Dinosaur." Museum of the Red River,
http://www.museumoftheredriver.org/dino.html (9 August 2012).
Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation,
https://www.wildlifedepartment.com (9 August 2012).
Oklahoma Senate, http://www.oksenate.gov (9 August 2012).
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