"Maryland, My Maryland" was the state song of the U.S. state of Maryland from 1939 until 2021. The song is set to the melody of "Lauriger Horatius" — the same tune "O Tannenbaum" was taken from. The lyrics are from a nine-stanza poem written by James Ryder Randall (1839–1908) in 1861. The state's general assembly adopted "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song on April 29, 1939. The song's words refer to Maryland's history and geography, specifically mentioning several historical figures of importance to the state. Written at the beginning of the Civil War, it was used across the Confederacy as a battle hymn. It has been called America's "most martial poem". Due to its origin in reaction to the Baltimore riot of 1861 and Randall's support for the Confederate States, it includes lyrics that refer to President Abraham Lincoln as "the tyrant", "the despot", and "the Vandal", and to the Union as "Northern scum". It also mentions Virginia as an ally and includes that state's official motto "Sic semper tyrannis". The slogan was later shouted by Marylander John Wilkes Booth when he assassinated Lincoln. After more than ten attempts to change the state song, over 40 years, on March 22, 2021, both houses of the General Assembly voted by substantial margins to abandon "Maryland, My Maryland" as the state song without a replacement. On May 18, 2021, Governor Larry Hogan signed the bill. History The poem resulted from events at the beginning of the American Civil War. During the secession crisis, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln (referred to in the poem as "the despot" and "the tyrant") ordered U.S. troops to be brought to Washington, D.C., to protect the capital and to prepare for war with the seceding southern states. Many of these troops were brought through Baltimore, a major transportation hub. There was considerable Confederate sympathy in Maryland at the time; many residents opposed using the U.S. Army to prevent secession. Riots ensued as Union troops came through Baltimore on their way south in April 1861 and were attacked by mobs. Many Union troops and Baltimore residents were killed in the Baltimore riots. The Maryland legislature summarized the state's ambivalent feelings when it met soon after, on April 29, voting 53–13 against secession, but also voting not to reopen rail links with the North, and requesting that Lincoln remove the growing numbers of federal troops in Maryland. At this