The state motto in Kansas is perfect, an encapsulation of our state, its roots and its people. As I said in this space a year ago, it’s all about the “through”: “To the stars, through difficulty.”
We in Kansas don’t avoid difficulty. We go through it. In fact, we’re pretty much always in the middle of difficulty, and we embrace that; sure, we want to get to the stars, but going through the hard reality of daily life is where we actually exist. It’s who we are.
Which brings me to the state song: “Home on the Range.” It’s nice and all, but it’s gotta go.
It has no connection to reality. Zip. It’s not even aspirational.
Well, that’s maybe one step too far. I suppose I’d like a home where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play. I guess I seldom want to hear a discouraging word, and I like the theory of cloudless skies all day.
But the reality is I’d be suspicious of that, and so would you. We’re Kansans, and we only feel comfortable if there’s some suffering. Five below seems virtuous in January, and 102 is just right in August, grass all burned up.
No cloudy skies? Sure, on vacation. But we eventually get nervous without clouds. Need some rain, you know. What about the wheat?
No discouraging word? Pfft. Life is not Candyland, hopscotch and the Easter Bunny. We know that. A guy sleeps through the alarm during harvest, someone scrolls TikTok at the office all afternoon – you’d better believe there’ll be a discouraging word. Ask Bill Snyder or Bill Self if they ever uttered a few choice ones when somebody dogged it in practice.
Incidentally, the third verse — which nobody ever sings — goes like this:
The red man was pressed from this part of the West,
He's likely no more to return…
As if that’s a good thing, something that makes a home on this range more inviting. You want to argue about Indian mascots? How about we focus on getting rid of the state song that extols the virtues of clearing native people out of their homes.
So what do we replace it with?
Well, that’s a much tougher question. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” has an obvious connection, and it’s about dreaming of something better. Not bad. Maybe just a tad too blue, you know? I’m partial to “People of the South Wind,” by Kansas. “Wichita Lineman” is a fine effort, too, although probably one step too specific. “I Won’t Back Down,” the Tom Petty number, is great: “There ain’t no easy way out.” But he’s a Floridian, and it’s probably not quite specific enough. What we need is Springsteen, or Jason Isbell, or Melissa Etheridge, to get their minds inside this problem.
Or…heck, maybe you. Get cracking. We need a song as good as our motto.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.