The Meaning of "We Bleed Maroon"

This one is especially for Nicky.... What the heck do all the references mean? I'll try my best to explain...

Texas A&M students are called Aggies which is a shortening of part of the University's name Texas Agricultural and Machinery (A&M) University. Aggieland is the University and the twin towns surrounding it (Bryan/College Station).

There's a place in my heart,
A spirit ne'er be told,
A little town on the Brazos
A little ring made of gold,
I carry it with me, wherever I go.
Just to remember the times.

"A spirit ne'er be told" is the spirit of Aggieland. The spirit of solidarity of past, present and future students, spirit of engagement and community, and not unlike the TESL Power spirit on steroid. Brazos is the name of the river on which Aggieland is situated. The ring is of course the Aggie ring. Here they say, once an Aggie, always an Aggie and the times you have here, you'll remember forever.


We learned some from books.
And a whole lot from livin'
And we etched our names on the wood
at the Chicken.
I still hear the sound of spurs on the concrete
and that ol' train whistle blowing through the trees.

The Chicken is a bar/restaurant (Dixie Chicken) where students etch their names on the furniture. I was wondering why they'd let the students do this but it actually becomes a part of the ambience. A&M used to be a military college, not unlike RMC, and a lot of the traditions come from there. Even though it's not a military college anymore, we have the largest number of Corps of Cadet around and the Senior Cadets can be distinguished by the tall boots that they wear. This being Texas, sometimes they wear spurs and when they walk, the spurs will jingle everytime they hit the concrete. There's a train track that runs straight through Bryan/College Station (BCS) and we hear it all the time. At first it keeps you awake but as time goes by, it just becomes a part of your background sounds that tells you that you are in Aggieland.

So put a penny on ol' Sully,
And wish me some luck.
And yell "Farmer's fight!"
when our boys are backed up.
Throw your arms around each other
and sing Hullabaloo.
'Cause that's what we do when we bleed maroon.

Sully is a a bronze statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross, a former president of the University. Students put pennies at the statue for good luck. "Farmer's fight" is a yell to encourage the players when things get tight because farmer used to be A&M mascot.. Kinda like "TESL Power!" Hullabaloo is part of the Aggie War Hymn... a song sung before every game. There's one part where the audience would put their arms around each other and sway...




Midnight at Duncan
They still light the torches,
And Reveille still barks at the Cav on their horses.
I've seen 80,000 to the power of 12.
It doesn't matter who comes to town,
we still give them hell.

Reveille is the mascot of A&M and the80,000 is the number of people at Kyle Field during a football game all wearing maroon the official color of A&M. The power of twelve is the spirit of solidarity (12th Man) which is why they are there supporting the team.

And I was there at the stack on November 18th.
With logs on the ground I fell down on my knees.
But we would not forget the 12 that we lost.
So we carved their names right there on the rock.

November 18, 1999 was the last university-sanctioned Bonfire where the stack collapsed injuring 27 and killing 12 people. It was a bad time for Aggies and they built a Bonfire Memorial to commemorate those who died.

So put a penny on ol' Sully,
And wish me some luck.
And yell farmers fight
when our boys are backed up.
Throw your arms around each other
and sing Hullabaloo.
'Cause that's what we do when we bleed maroon.

And there late at night if I listen real close,
The spirit still whispers through the crooked live oaks.
And I hear my father and his dad before,
and all those brave Aggies that never came back from war.

There are a lot of oak trees at A&M and one particular one, my favorite is an old oak tree called the Century Oak. It's huge and amazing... a lot of marriage proposals took place there.

So put a penny on ol' Sully,
And wish me some luck.
And yell "Farmers fight!"
when our boys are backed up.
Throw your arms around each other
and sing Hullabaloo.
'Cause that's what we do when we bleed maroon.

And say 'here' for me at muster when my time comes too.
'cause that's what we do when we bleed maroon.
Yeah, that's what we do when we bleed maroon...

Muster is a ceremony on April 21 at A&M where they remember all the Aggies that have passed in the year. If an Aggie dies since the last Muster, a relative or friend will answer "Here" for him/her on his/her behalf when his/her name is called. It is also a date for a reunion with other Aggies if they can't make it back to Aggieland for Muster. They would come together and reminisce of their time at A&M.

Hope that helps... By the way, great job on the new blog... it's bookmarked on my browser:)

Aggie Muster

"Softly call the Muster, let comrade answer 'Here'..."

Aggies gathered together on June 26,1883 to live over again their college days, the victories and defeats won and lost upon the drill field and in the classroom. By April 21, 1903, this annual gathering evolved into a celebration of Texas' Independence on San Jacinto Day. These early meetings included field games and banquets for Aggies to reflect and celebrate their memories of Aggieland. 'Let every alumni answer a roll call' wrote the former students. It was not until 1922, however, that April 21 became the official day of events for all Aggies, thus, the annual tradition of Muster was born. The March 1923 Texas Aggie urged, 'If there is an A&M man in one-hundred miles of you, you are expected to get together, eat a little, and live over the days you spent at the A&M College of Texas.

Still remembering and honoring the time spent in Aggieland, the tradition of mustering has grown in strength, meaning, and spirit. By 1929, meeting had grown worldwide, and in 1942 Aggie Muster gained international recognition. Twenty-five men, led by General George Moore '08, mustered during the Japanese Siege of the Philippine island of Corregidor. Knowing that Muster might soon be called for them, these Aggies embodied the essence of commitment, dedication, and friendship- the Aggie Spirit. They risked their lives to honor their beliefs and values. That small group of Aggies on an outpost during World War II inspired what has developed into one of our greatest traditions.

Muster is celebrated in more than four-hundred places world wide, with the largest ceremony on the Texas A&M campus in College Station. The ceremony brings together more Aggies, worldwide, on one occasion than any other event.

The students of Texas A&M University coordinate the Campus Muster. Because Muster was established to bring Aggies together, each Campus Muster is dedicated to the fifty-year reunion class. The Campus Muster involves an entire day of activities for students both present and past. Alumni enjoy a special program including tours of the ever-changing campus. At noon, all Aggies congregate at the Academic Plaza for the Camaraderie Barbecue that rekindles the tradition of the original Muster celebration. That night, the Muster ceremony consists of an address by a keynote speaker, the reading of poems, followed by the Roll Call for the Absent. The Roll Call honors Aggies that have fallen since the last Muster roll was read. As the names are read, a friend or family member answers 'Here', and a candle is lit to symbolize that while those Aggies are not present in body, they will forever remain with us in Aggie Spirit.

Century-old roots provide the basis of Muster as Aggies know it today. It has changed, yet the Spirit in which it was established remains the same. Since the beginning, every Aggie has lived and become a part of the Aggie Spirit. What is felt today is not just the love of a fellow Aggie, it is the spirit of hundreds of thousands of Aggies who have gone before. Muster is how that Spirit is remembered and will continue to unite Texas A&M and the Aggie family. A&M may change, but the Spirit never will.

http://aggietraditions.tamu.edu/muster.shtml