Hamilton College

Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college located in Clinton, New York. It is sometimes referred to as the 'School on the Hill', due to the school's location on top of College Hill, just outside of downtown Clinton. Hamilton College was ranked as the 15th best Liberal Arts College in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in 2006{{an|1}}.

Songs of the College

Carissima (Alma Mater)

by M. W. Stryker (1872)

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Dear is thy homestead, glade and glen,

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Fair is the light that crowns thy brow;

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Gather we close to thee again,

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Mother all-loving thou hast been,{{ref_label|lyric1|1}}

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Our own sweet Lady thou!

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Our own sweet Lady thou!

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Haunting our hearts in absent days,

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Calling us back from stress and storm,

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Tenderly all thy good old ways

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Shine in thy smiles; be love thy praise!

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Thine arms are ever warm.

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Thine arms are ever warm.

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Memory still shall close enfold,

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Bringing us joys of days of yore,{{ref_label|lyric2|2}}

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Faith shall thy constant fame uphold;

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While years, Carissima, grow cold,

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We love thee evermore,

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We love thee evermore.{{ref_label|lyric3|3}}

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Changes from the original text

• {{note|lyric1}} In the original version, "Mother of loyal, steadfast men."
• {{note|lyric2}} Changed from the original version; however, the editor does not know the original lyric. Analysis of the rhyme scheme indicates it should end in a rhyme with "boys," perhaps "joys."
• {{note|lyric3}} In the original version, "We still will be thy boys."

We Never Will Forget Thee{{ref_label|lyric4|1}} (Fight Song)

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Gather close, your voices lend,{{ref_label|lyric5|2}}

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And we'll sing the praise again

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Of the college on the hilltop,

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Whose days will never end;

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As we leave the massive walls

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That enclose her classic halls,

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We will not fail to answer her,{{ref_label|lyric6|3}}

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When our mother calls!

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Hamilton, we never will forget thee;{{ref_label|lyric4|1}}

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Hamilton, if trouble e'er beset thee,

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We will fight with all our might for Hamilton!

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On the day our alma mater calls us,

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We'll fight on, no matter what befalls us;

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We pledge our name to uphold the fame of Hamilton!

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Changes from the original text

• {{note|lyric4}} In the original version, both the title and first line of the chorus read, "Thy sons will ne'er forget thee."
• {{note|lyric5}} In the original version, "Gather close, ye boys and men."
• {{note|lyric6}} In the original version, "We will not fail to answer, boys."

Live Performance

The Hamilton College Fight Song is most frequently performed by the Hamilton College Buffers, an all-male student a cappella group. Their version, which they call "Al-Ham" (a shortening of "Alexander Hamilton"), uses the original gender-specific lyrics, and includes an extended interlude with original lyrics and choreography. Al-Ham can be downloaded for free from their MP3 page.

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