I was a member of Iowa‘s Hawkeye Marching Band drumline in the mid-1980s. Great music, fun trips, hijinks, many cherished memories. 1986 Rose Bowl definitely a highlight (for which I still have the custom Rose Bowl drum head). Recent I got the end-of-year show and remembered way more than I should have!
One HMB tradition was (is?) to make up alternative lyrics to other school’s fight songs: On Wisconsin became Cheese Wisconsin, Indiana, Our Indiana ended with a loud Fuck You! Tops was (is?) the HMB version of Michigan‘s The Victors:
HAIL to you fornicators, HAIL to you masturbators,
HAIL, HAIL to Michigan the cesspool of the East!
HAIL to you old cocksuckers, HAIL to you motherfuckers,
HAIL, HAIL to Michigan the school we like the least!
The HMB performed at halftime with the UM marching band in Ann Arbor in (I believe) 1986, our annual trip to an away game. At the post-game gathering, we asked Michigan band members what they did when we played The Iowa Fight Song, and they were surprised, hadn’t really considered it….
…and then they asked what we sang to The Victors….
…and we looked at each other hesitantly, but with trepidation we sang our version….
And they ate it up, absolutely loved it!
