09/07/2025
First parody of the Arizona! State Song lyrics (1917):
ARIZONA!
Not a State Anthem
Lilian Francis Applewaite
Arizona! Arizona! where the sun is hot and bright,
Where the gila monster warbles to the pensive moon at night,
Where the state is “dry” as tinder and you cannot drown your thirst
Though you drain the oaken bucket ‘till you very nearly burst.
Where the horned toad and the lizard flourish like the mesquite tree,
Where the omnipresent woodtick keeps you scratching constantly,
Where the cowboy in his anguish, executes a frenzied dance
When the scorpion jabs his stinger through the bosom of his pants.
Where the irrigated pumpkins grown in clusters on the vine,
Where the plutocrat yank copper from the bowels of the mine,
Where the housewife runs for office while her hubby herds the kid
And the rampant sufragettist is still holding down the lid.
Where the everlasting cactus stabs you with its renowned thorn,
Where the sizzling heat of summer makes you look on clothes with scorn,
Where the neighbor’s blatant rooster crows throughout the night and day,
And the whistling, seething sandstorm drives your peace of mind away.
Where the mocking bird and b***o sing in pleasing harmony,
Where the wobbly Indian maiden is a joyous sight to see,
Where the blooming legislature bars the festive poker game,
But–we love you Arizona! yes, we love you just the same!
Published Arizona Republican, February 23, 1917
Full story of the state song and parodies here:
The words to “Arizona,” the state song, were mercilessly parodiedIntoxicated with the success of Arizona achieving statehood in 1912, the state’s inhabitants enthusiastically set about boosting all things Arizona. We had a flag, a seal, a flower, and a bird. But the Territorial Song of 1901, ....
