BLINDED BY 'THE EYES OF TEXAS'.

• Date: 01 April 2021
• Author: Zirin, Dave

"The Eyes of Texas" is known far and wide as the beloved fight song of the University of Texas at Austin. But it is not universally beloved. Not by a long shot. Thousands of students and others have signed petitions calling for the school to retire the song played at sporting events, school functions, funerals, and even a 9/11 memorial.

The song's lyrics, set to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad," are innocent enough. It begins:

The Eyes of Texas are upon you, All the livelong day. The Eyes of Texas are upon you, You cannot get away. But the song was first performed in 1903 by students in blackface at a minstrel show to raise funds for the school track team, and its lyrics are said to embody the "lost cause" ideology.

In June 2020, several players on the University of Texas at Austin football team asked that the song be replaced by one "without racist undertones." In response, wealthy alumni have chosen to lose their...