State Song
Words and music by Roger Vinton Snow
Grand State of Maine,
proudly we sing
To tell your glories to the land,
To shout your praises till the echoes ring.
Should fate unkind
send us to roam,
The scent of the fragrant pines,
the tang of the salty sea
Will call us home.
CHORUS:
Oh, Pine Tree State,
Your woods, fields and hills,
Your lakes, streams and rock bound coast
Will ever fill our hearts with thrills,
And tho' we seek far and wide
Our search will be in vain,
To find a fairer spot on earth
Than Maine! Maine! Maine!
State March
“The Dirigo March” by Leo Pepin
In 2012, The Dirigo March was unanimously approved by the Maine State Legislature as the Official State March. Leo J. Pepin, an Augusta native, composed the march in 1961. He was a graduate of the Northern Conservatory of Music and taught at his own music studio for 30 years. He continued to record and perform in his retirement and was inducted into the Franco American Hall of Fame in 2014. March 20, 2014 was declared Leo J. Pepin Day, in the State Capital, in recognition of his accomplishments. The original manuscript of the Dirigo March is housed at the Franco American Collection at the University of Southern Maine. Pepin died on September 15, 2015 at the age of 90.“Now at public events when marches are played, the people of Maine will have their own State Song,” he told the press. “Now we can play our very own March.”
Play the march yourself: Parts: https://mainearts.maine.gov/CMSContent/arts_in_education/MusicianDirigoMarch.pdf
State ballad
"The Ballad of the 20th Maine” by The Ghost of Paul Revere band
The Ghost of Paul Revere folk band (Griffin Sherry, Sean McCarthy and Max Davis) performed “The Ballad of the 20th Maine” in the Hall of Flags on June 7, 2019 during a ceremony when Gov. Janet Mills signed the L.D. 1541 into law, confirming the song as the official state ballad. The song, written by Sherry, is about the 20th Maine Regiment’s crucial role in winning the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War.
State song of the 21st century
"My Sweet Maine" by Terry Swett
Terry Swett wrote “My Sweet Maine” to celebrate Maine’s bicentennial in 2020. He performed it with his fellow Milltown Roadshow members Diane “DJ” Maddix and Jack D. Jolie. The song got the attention of Reps. Walter Riseman, Harrison, and John Andrews, Paris, who urged the State Legislature to make the song the official state song of the 21st century. The legislature adopted it as an official Maine song in 2021.