Hi. I couldn’t resist the temptation to make episode 88 all about my song, “My State, Ohio - the 88 Counties.” Click PLAY above to hear the podcast version of this episode. Click the links below to hear the song. Enjoy. Hal
My State, Ohio
I've had several significant accomplishments in my life. And one of them was a song that I wrote back in 2003. A song that incorporates the 88 counties of Ohio. It’s called “My State, Ohio.” I couldn’t resist the temptation to make episode 88 all about this song.
I've taught the song to hundreds of fourth graders around the state of Ohio and I always thought it should be taught to every fourth grader in Ohio. It's a fun song to sing. Once you learn it, you never forget it. It's a challenging song to learn though. It's highly syncopated and you really got to spit out all those words. Maybe someday, “My State, Ohio” will be in the Ohio social studies textbooks. Though I doubt it unless I do something about it. It's probably not going to just happen on its own while I lie here in bed.
The story goes like this.
Back in 2003, I was hanging out in downtown Kent on North Water Street with a few friends. And just for fun, we were trying to list as many of the counties in the state of Ohio that we could list. And I, as someone who at the time was traveling all over the state of Ohio, bringing music into the schools, could only list about three. I knew Portage, Summit, and maybe Geauga.
My grandfather was a tax collector in Alabama and he prided himself in knowing every county in Alabama. So I vowed then that I would go home and I would write a song, a song that would incorporate the 88 counties of Ohio… and that's what I did.
I went home and I got out a map of the state of Ohio and a pair of banakulas. Up in the northeast corner of the state, I saw Ashtabula County and I knew that's where the song needed to begin. So I picked up some banakulas until I felt that nice syncopated rhythm and I sang right down the eastern side of the state. I sang, “Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbia, Jefferson, Belmont, and Monroe.” Amazingly, I made it all the way down to the southeast corner of the state. So I went back up to the top and sang, “Lake, Geauga, Summit, Portage, Stark, Tuscarawas, Carol, Harrison, Guernsey, Noble, and Washington.”
I spent the next two weeks writing this puzzle of a song until it was done. And then I drew up this lyric sheet. It was a map of the counties of Ohio with little arrows showing the way the song led us through the state from the northeast corner, all the way to the southwest corner, the county of Brown.
It just happened that during that summer of 2003 we were celebrating the Ohio bicentennial. I had just started working with Frank Jacobs at the Summit Children's Choir and we came up with an idea to teach all 100 members of the multi age choir to sing the 88 counties. And then we performed it in front of the Governor at EJ Thomas Hall in Akron that summer. It was an amazing night. So here we have it. “My State, Ohio.” The 88 Counties sung by all the voices of the Summer Children's Choir back in 2003. Enjoy. (See the full lyrics below)
There we have it — the 88 counties of Ohio from about 21 years ago.
Well, this episode is going to be a short one today, everybody. I'm sorry to say it's been real tough lately. My symptoms have taken another turn for the worse. You can probably hear it in my voice. I don't have much oomph. It's been brutal. But I appreciate you listening. It's amazing to me. We've made it all the way to Episode 88 and I'm wishing you the best.
Hallie's getting married in two weeks. I’m looking forward to that. I'll send you some photos after the fact. All right, I'm gonna take a little rest now. All the best to you. Oh, if you're interested in learning the 88 counties there's some videos you can watch on YouTube to learn the whole song. I'll put that right down here below. Okay, bye bye.
My State, Ohio
Ashtabula, Trumbull, Mahoning and Columbiana, Jefferson, Belmont and Monroe. Lake, Geauga, Summit, Portage, Stark, Tuscarawas, Carroll, Harrison, Guernsey, Noble and Washington.
These are the Counties of my state, Ohio,
I offer them to you to sing along.
The names that I’m sounding there’s eighty eight that I know
and they all come together to form a song.
Won’t you sing a-long!Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina, Wayne, Ashland, Holmes and Knox, Coshocton
Muskingum, Morgan, Athens and Meigs.Erie and Huron, Richland, Morrow, Licking, Fairfield,
Perry, Hocking, Vinton, Jackson and GaliaLucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Seneca,
Wyandot, Crawford, Marion, Union and DelawareFranklin, Madison, Pickaway, Ross, Pike, Scioto and Lawrence,
Fulton, Williams and Henry, Wood, Defiance, Putnam, Paulding, Van Wert.Hancock, Allen, Hardin, Logan, Champagne, Clark,
Mercer, Auglaize and Shelby, Darke.Oh, Miami, Preble, Montgomery, Greene,
Clinton, Fayette, Highland, Adams, Butler, Warren
and then there’s Hamilton, Claremont and Brown.Two hundred years old. My state, Ohio.
Learn the song by clicking below…
My State, Ohio