Arkansas

The Arkansas Waltz by Cletus Jones and Bill Urfer has been claimed to be the official state waltz but it deserves an asterisk.  In 1971, Jones and Urfer managed to get the Arkansas Senate to pass a bill naming their waltz as the official state waltz.  That same year, Luke Jeter, convinced the Arkansas House to pass a bill naming his Arkansas Waltz as the official state waltz. The House voted down the Jones/Urfer waltz and the Senate never considered the Jeter waltz.  Consequently, this battle of the waltzes has never been resolved. The full story is well covered in this article from The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.  Undeterred, Jones and Urfer released an album titled The Official Arkansas Waltz and published sheet music similarly labeled.  Jeter's Arkansas Waltz seems to have disappeared without a trace. Lyrics and simplified score for the Jones and Urfer waltz can be found at the bottom of this blog.

Arkansas Waltz - Cletus "Slim" Jones

There are at least two other candidates that the Arkansas legislature could consider for an official state waltz.  One is a composition titled Arkansas Waltz composed on July 4, 2008 by Dave Matheson.  The other is titled The Arkansas Serenade Waltz composed in 1882 by Henry Morschheimer. This older waltz can be viewed in its original sheet music form at the Library of Congress website. If you know of other state waltz candidates or if you can lead me to a copy of Jeter's Arkansas Waltz, a comment below would be appreciated.

I have not found a sound or video file of Morschheimer's waltz but you can view Matheson singing and playing his waltz below.

Some may question if Arkansas really needs an asterisk-free state waltz.  After all, they already have a state instrument (the fiddle) and four state songs; but this blog believes every state should have an official state waltz.  However, the legislature may want to wait a bit - better candidates may come along.

Lyrics for the Jones and Urfer Arkansas Waltz:

Arkansas waltz, we'll waltz tonight beneath the Ozark moon so bright.

I'll waltz with you and hold you tight this lovely night.

I feel that I'm a lucky man to share your life in this great land

in the Ozark hills, beneath the pines in Arkansas.

Blossoms of white on apple trees, mockingbirds singing just for me,

the air is clean for me to breath in Arkansas.

Her great mountains are her brain.

Well great rivers are her veins

that flow across the plains through cotton fields and golden grain.

Arkansas waltz, we'll waltz tonight beneath the Ozark moon so bright.

I'll waltz with you and hold you tight this lovely night

(spoken)

Her great mountains, lakes and industry

You've earned your fame, land of opportunity

Eight wonders you give, I'm happy to live in Arkansas.

Seems like your skies are brighter blue

and your friends are warm and true

I'm sure that God has chosen you, my Arkansas.

Your teams win in almost every game.

Those Hogs and Indians are tough to tame.

When you hear the call,

they've got the ball.

That's Arkansas.

(sung)

Her great mountains are her brain.

Well great rivers are her veins

that flow across the plains through cotton fields and golden grain.

Arkansas waltz, we'll waltz tonight beneath the Ozark moon so bright.

I'll waltz with you in Arkansas again tonight.

A simplified score:

Jones sings this with a strong bass voice in the key of E flat.  I have converted it to the key of F since most folks don't have a strong bass voice.  The original is not quite as repetitive as this but the differences are subtle variations within those three consecutive eighth notes which are, incidentally, swung - not played at constant rhythm as shown in the score. I suggest you make up your own variations.

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