Maryland's State Song Advisory Group studies more inclusive alternatives

As the city of New Orleans dedicates itself to the removal and warehousing of four Confederate monuments, the State of Maryland’s real-life State Song Advisory Group earlier this week recommended that portions of the state song, “Maryland, My Maryland” be either rewritten or performed as an instrumental, or that the song be retired altogether.

Advisory group recommends changes to Maryland's state songhttps://t.co/lbybdDJrHN pic.twitter.com/heLVLD00Nz

— WJZ | CBS Baltimore (@wjz) December 18, 2015

WJZ reports that the advisory group found that the state song wasn’t inclusive, celebrated the Confederacy (“She spurns the Northern scum”!), and did not reflect present-day values.

Advisory group recommends retiring Maryland's state song https://t.co/CGmptFU5xZ via @DanielleEGaines #MDPolitics pic.twitter.com/h9DM5bZ0o8

— Frederick News-Post (@frednewspost) December 17, 2015

The Frederick News-Post notes that bills to overturn the status of “Maryland, My Maryland” were introduced in 1974, 1980, 1984, 2001, 2002 and 2009, but none passed.

The advisory group has suggested several alternatives that would meet the state’s mandate, although the last suggestion is the most intriguing: “A final recommendation suggests retiring “Maryland, My Maryland” with no replacement for 10 years to see if a popular alternative emerges.”

@frednewspost @DanielleEGaines Theres more to worry about in this world then a state song. how bout we focus our attention on other things.

— Nick Georgilas (@nickg2828) December 17, 2015