Ode to Williams

Music

The Ode to Williams now has a tune. Pick it out on the piano and try singing it, if you like. You will note that the tune of the last line quotes from The Mountains. <lilypond> {\partial 2 g4 g c c c d e c c c b b b c d2 g,4 g b b b c d g, g g c c c d e2 e4 e f f f f a, a f' f e c c c d2. c4 b b b c d g, g g c c c d e2 e4 e f f f f a, a e' e c c d e f2. f4 e e d d c g g g e' e d d c2.} \addlyrics { Here I am, I go to Will -- iams, land of moun -- tains fields and trees, Where the smog and smoke of ci -- ties ne -- ver in -- ter -- rupts the breeze; Where our u -- ni -- forms are pur -- ple and we proud -- ly sport the cow; Where for dis -- cus -- sions nine -- teen is the most that they al -- low; Where my lec -- ture class is fif -- ty; my pro -- fes -- sor knows my name--- And ev -- ery -- one I meet seems gen -- u -- ine -- ly glad they came. } </lilypond>

There is an audio file of this music with backup percussion and strings created by Branden Mirach '07, which you can listen to and sing along.

Lyrics

The Ode to Williams started out as just a poem. Here it is, though it is now somewhat redundant to the above.

Here I am -- I go to Williams: land of mountains, fields, and trees,

Where the smog and smoke of cities never interrupts the breeze;

Where our uniforms are purple and we proudly sport the cow;

Where for discussions, nineteen is the most that they allow;

Where my lecture class is fifty; my professor knows my name,

And everyone I meet seems genuinely glad they came.

Williams -- I go to Williams!

I go to Williams!

Apparently, numerous members of the Williams community have taken it upon themselves to learn this catchy bit of verse.

About

The Ode to Williams is a subset of the Ode to Harvard by Diana Davis, written in her freshman fall of 2003. There is a .wav version of this ode being performed here.