Arizona has two official state songs. The “Arizona March Song,” written by Margaret Rowe Clifford with music by Maurice Blumenthal, was adopted as the state anthem on February 28, 1919. “Arizona,” written and performed by Rex Allen, Jr. and widely known by its opening line “I Love You Arizona,” was adopted as an alternate state anthem in 1982.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March
The Arizona March Song (1919)
The Fourth State Legislature adopted the “Arizona March Song” on February 28, 1919, seven years after Arizona entered the Union. Margaret Rowe Clifford wrote the lyrics; Maurice Blumenthal composed the music.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March The lyrics call listeners to “this land of sunshine” and honor the mountains, rivers, and pioneers of the young state, in a tone closer to a hymn than a popular song.
Full Lyrics
Come to this land of sunshine,
To this land where life is young.
Where the wide, wide world is waiting,
The songs that will now be sung.
Where the golden sun is flaming
Into warm, white, shining day,
And the sons of men are blazing
Their priceless right of way.
Come stand beside the rivers
Within our valleys broad.
Stand here with heads uncovered,
In the presence of our God!
While all around, about us
The brave, unconquered band,
As guardians and landmarks
The giant mountains stand.
Not alone for gold and silver
Is Arizona great.
But with graves of heroes sleeping,
All the land is consecrate!
O, come and live beside us
However far ye roam
Come and help us build up temples
And name those temples “home.”
Chorus:
Sing the song that’s in your hearts,
Sing of the great Southwest,
Thank God, for Arizona
In splendid sunshine dressed.
For thy beauty and thy grandeur,
For thy regal robes so sheen
We hail thee Arizona
Our Goddess and our queen.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March
“I Love You Arizona” (1982)
In 1982, the 35th Legislature adopted a second official song. Rex Allen, Jr. wrote and performed “Arizona,” widely known by its opening line, “I Love You Arizona,” and the Legislature designated it as an alternate state anthem.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March Where the March Song reads like a formal invitation to settle in the state, Allen’s song is personal, almost a letter written to Arizona itself.
Full Lyrics
I love you, Arizona;
Your mountains, deserts and streams;
The rise of Dos Cabezas
And the outlaws I see in my dreams;
I love you Arizona,
Superstitions and all;
The warmth you give at sunrise;
Your sunsets put music in us all.
Oo, Arizona;
You’re the magic in me;
Oo, Arizona,
You’re the life-blood of me;
I love you Arizona;
Desert dust on the wind;
The sage and cactus are blooming,
And the smell of the rain on your skin.
Oo, Arizona;
You’re the magic in me;
Oo, Arizona,
You’re the life-blood of me.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March
Why Arizona Has Two Official Songs
Having more than one official song is not unusual among U.S. states. The “Arizona March Song” carries the grand, aspirational tone of early statehood, written when leaders were still building an identity for a new state. “I Love You Arizona,” adopted more than six decades later, captures how residents talk about the place where they already live. Both remain official.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March