BLUE EAGLE, THE KING

BLUE EAGLE, THE KING
         Some  time  in the 1930's, Catholic  Schools

Raul S. Manglapus
in the United States,  particularly those named after

Ateneo de Manila -- 1939
the saints, were distressed   by  the cheekiness with

 
which  they  were   mentioned  in  the  sports pages.

Fly High!
"St.    Michael's   Wallops   St.  Augustine's,"   or

Blue Eagle fly
"St. Thomas'   Scalps  St. Peter's,"  headlines read.

And carry our cry
It was then agreed  that each school adopt  a mascot,

Across the sky!
a symbol for the team  which  the sportswriters could

 
toss about with freedom and  which would consequently

Cast your shadow below,
allow the saints to live in peace.

Swoop down on the foe,
        The  idea  gained  favor in  the Philippines.

Then sweep up the fields away!
The Ateneo adopted  the  Blue Eagle as a symbol,  and

 
had a live eagle  to  accompany  the basketball team.

Fly high!
Blue Eagle, the King  was  written  during  the  1939

Over the trees
summer vacation, after  Manglapus had  been graduated

Make known through the breeze
with a  Bachelor   of  Arts degree.  He  tried it out

Our victory!
first  on  friends  in Baguio--the out-of-town trial,

 
so  to  speak--and   when  classes  re-opened  had it

Spread wide each wing
performed  by    baritone  Serafin  Garcia  before  a

For you are the King
Committee  of   Faculty  members and Student leaders.

Blue Eagle, the King!
The   music   was  transcribed  and  orchestrated  by

 
Lucio  San Pedro,   noted  Filipino composer, who was

For the Eagle's the King of them all
then  the  Ateneo   bandmaster.  Blue Eagle, the King

And his blue feathers never will fall!
was  immediately    and  unanimously   approved,  and

For the Blue and the White
was  sung  by   the  students for the first time at a

And the Eagle in flight
convocation.

Ateneo will fight
         The  music  for  cheering   songs  of  local

Today!
schools   was    usually   borrowed   from   American

 
cheering  songs;   new  lyrics were written for them,

Fly high
or  at  least   the  proper names were changed.  Blue

Over the trees
Eagle,  the  King   was  the  singular exception, not

Make known through the breeze
only  because  its   music  was  especially  composed

Our victory!
for  it, but  also   because  it was borrowed, words,

 
music  and    all, by   an   American  college,   the

Spread wide each wing
Brooklyn    Preparatory   College.    Brooklyn   Prep

For you are the King
had gone further and adopted  the Blue   Eagle as its

Blue Eagle, the King!
mascot.
--Source:  The  Marching  Songs   of Raul Manglapus; a  record album.

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