Arizona has two official state songs. The original Arizona state song is the “Arizona March Song,” adopted in 1919, and the state added a second, “Arizona” (widely known as “I Love You Arizona”), as an alternate anthem in 1982.
The Arizona March Song (1919)
The Fourth State Legislature adopted the “Arizona March Song” as the state’s official anthem on February 28, 1919. Margaret Rowe Clifford wrote the lyrics, and Maurice Blumenthal composed the music.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March Arizona had entered the Union only seven years earlier, in 1912, and the song’s tone reflects that moment: a formal invitation to settle in a young state, framed around its sunshine, rivers, mountains, and pioneers.
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)
The 35th Legislature adopted a second official song in 1982. Rex Allen, Jr. wrote and performed “Arizona,” known to most listeners by its opening line, “I Love You Arizona.” The Legislature designated it as an alternate state anthem.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March Allen was the son of Rex Allen Sr., the Willcox-born performer known as “The Arizona Cowboy,” and the family name is closely tied to the state’s country and cowboy music tradition.
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
Two Songs, Not a Replacement
The 1982 designation did not retire the “Arizona March Song.” Both remain official: the March Song as the state anthem, and “I Love You Arizona” as the alternate.1Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records. State Song and March