Music & Lyrics

When you know the lyrics to our spirited fight songs, and join others at singing them at games, you’ll help us unleash the power of unity ans school spirit! Join us as we amplify the roar of the crowd, turning every match into a harmonious celebration of team spirit and pride.

We can’t wait to hear you join in!

Fair Harvard

S. Gilman 1811 (revised 2018)

First Verse

Fair Harvard! we join in thy jubilee throng,
And with blessings surrender thee o’er
By these festival rites, from the age that is past,
To the age that is waiting before.
O Relic and type of our ancestors’ worth,
That hast long kept their memory warm,
First flow’r of their wilderness! Star of their night!
Calm rising through change and through storm.

Second Verse

Farewell! be thy destinies onward and bright!
To thy children the lesson still give,
With freedom to think, and with patience to bear,
And for right ever bravely to live.
Let not moss-covered error moor thee at its side,
As the world on truth’s current glides by,
Be the herald of light, and the bearer of love,
‘Til the stars in the firmament die.

These files are for end-user use only. Please do not redistribute these files without the permission of the Harvard University Band.

Fight Fiercely Harvard

T. Lehrer 1947

First Verse

Fight fiercely, Harvard!
Fight, fight, fight!
Demonstrate to them our skill.
Albeit they possess the might,
Nonetheless we have the will.
How we shall celebrate our victory?
We shall invite the whole team
Up for tea! How jolly!
Hurl that spheroid down the field
And fight! Fight! Fight!

Second Verse

Fight fiercely, Harvard!
Fight, fight, fight!
Impress them with our prowess, do.
Oh, fellows, do not let the Crimson down;
Be of stout heart, and true.
Fight for Harvard’s glorious name!
Won’t it be peachy if we
Win the game? Oh goody!
Let’s try not to injure them,
But fight! Fight! Fight!

These files are for end-user use only. Please do not redistribute these files without the permission of the Harvard University Band.

Gridiron King

R. K. Fletcher 1908

Verse

Then hit the line for Harvard,
For Harvard wins today!
We will show the sons of Eli
That the Crimson still holds sway.
Sweep down the field again,
Victory or die!
And we’ll give the grand old cheer boys,
When the Harvard team goes by.

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Harvardiana

R. G. Williams 1911 and S. B. Steel 1911

Verse

With Crimson in triumph flashing
‘Mid the strains of victory,
Poor Eli’s hopes we are dashing
Into blue obscurity.
Resistless our team sweeps goalward
With the fury of the blast;
We’ll fight for the name of Harvard
‘Til the last white line is passed.
Harvard! Harvard! Harvard! (2x)

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Onward Crimson

J. Rissmiller 2006

Verse

Onward Crimson, staunch defenders
Of the emblem we hold dear.
Marching dauntless through the gauntlets
While the Elis quake with fear!
Stay the course now, mighty Crimson,
For the glory and the pride!
Undefeated, foes retreated,
Harvard’s vict’ry sanctified.

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Our Director

F. E. Bigelow

Verse

Hard luck for poor Eli,
Tough on the blue!
Now, all together,
Smash them and break through.
‘Gainst the line of Crimson,
They can’t prevail.
Three cheers for Harvard!
And down with yale!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Down with yale!

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R-A-D

A. Hunnewell-Hemmens 1911

First Verse

R-A-D-C-L-I-F-F-E
Oh, Radcliffe, thy girls assemble,
We’ll always give thee homage true;
We are thy daughters loyal
In all thou wouldst have us do (rah, rah, rah).
We swing our banners proudly!
We hoist our emblems to the skies!
We cheer our alma mater,
We cheer our college great and wise!

Second Verse

Oh, Radcliffe, our alma mater
We sing your glories to the sun
We are your grateful daughters
Our voices raised as one
You gave us joys and wisdom
To set our goals and values true
Radcliffe, our alma mater
We pledge our loyalty to you.

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Score

J. W. Adams 1910 and J. S. Reed 1910

Verse

No hope for Eli,
Here’s where we score!
Come twist the bulldog’s tail;
We’ll win once more,
For Harvard’s back at New Haven;
Hark to their mournful wail.
It might be worse, boys, call up a hearse
For poor old yale!

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Soldiers Field

R. K. Fletcher 1908, W. W. Gallagher 1904, & H. Davenport 1904

Verse

O’er the stands of flaming Crimson
Harvard banners fly.
Cheer on cheer like volleyed thunder
Echoes to the sky.
See the Crimson tide is turning,
Gaining more and more,
Then fight! fight! fight! For we win tonight
Old Harvard forevermore.

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Ten Thousand Men

A. Putnam 1918

First Verse

Illegitimum non carborundum;
Domine salvum fac.
Illegitimum non Carborundum;
Domine salvum fac.
Gaudeamus igitur!
Veritas non sequitur?
Illegitimum non carborundum—ipso facto!

Fourth Verse

Ten thousand men of Harvard
Want vict’ry today,
For they know that o’er old Eli
Fair Harvard holds sway.
So then we’ll conquer old Eli’s men,
And when the game ends, we’ll sing again:
Ten thousand men of Harvard gained vict’ry today!

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Up the Street

R. G. Morse 1896 and W. L. W. Field 1898

First Verse

Look where the Crimson banners fly!
Hark to the sound of tramping feet!
There is a host approaching nigh!
Harvard is marching up the street,
Onward to victory again,
Marching to drumbeat and to song;
Oh, hear the refrain as it thunders along,
As it thunders along.

Second Verse

Behold, they come in view,
Who wear the Crimson hue;
Whose arms are strong, whose hearts are true
Ever to Harvard, ever to Harvard.

Third Verse

And Harvard’s glory shall be our aim,
And through the ages the sound shall roll;
When all together we cheer her name,
When we cheer her with heart and soul!

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Veritas

J. H. Densmore 1904

Verse

We say hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
There’s never an Eli can teach us to play!
Harvard! Harvard! Harvard!
See how the bleachers blue turn pale with fright;
Send a cheer across to bleach ’em nice and white!
Oh, look at the way we smash and rip ’em through
While the blue bulldog howls “Boo-la, boo-la, boo!”
Let out your voices now so loud and hale,
‘Tis a fun’ral ode we sing to Eli yale.
Oh, give us a yell ‘Hi! Hi!’ for Harvard,
For the Crimson today!

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Wintergreen

G. Gershwin Wintergreen for President!

Verse

Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
Wintergreen for President!
Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la
He’s the man the people choose!
He loves all, we’ll never lose!
(repeated multiple times)

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Yo-Ho

R. K. Fletcher 1908

Verse

Yo ho! The good ship Harvard
Is goalward bound again;
All the crew are at the halyards,
Here’s a hail for Johnny Harvard’s men!
Bright Crimson at the forepeak
Rides high above the foam.
While we sweep through the deep blue,
Harvard strikes home!

These files are for end-user use only. Please do not redistribute these files without the permission of the Harvard University Band.