New Mexico State University sang its fight song in victory after winning a college football rivalry game over UTEP on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Aggies fans likely had a few libations in their honor.
The fight song literally tells them to! Lyrics include the following promise:
And when we win this game,
We’ll buy a keg of booze,
And we’ll drink it to the Aggies
‘Till we wobble in our shoes!
New Mexico State‘s fight song is one of the only college fight songs to reference drunkenness. The backstory makes it even more unique.
Lyrics are loosely based on a song called “Oh Didn’t He Ramble” and were first published in October of 1921, right during the heart of prohibition. As a result, the song underwent a lot of changes throughout the mid-20th century. None of them stuck!
The Aggie fight song today is exactly the same as it was 102 years ago.
However, the lyrics create an interesting challenge for on-campus organizations like the Wellness, Alcohol and Violence Education (WAVE) program. It aims to educate students about the dangers of drinking in excess while the fight song directly promotes that very notion.
It does put forth contradicting norms […]
(The fight song) clearly does not support the harm-reduction approach, in regard to binge drinking, that we focus on. It is a touchy subject because a lot of people talk about (the fight song) in terms of tradition, less than really looking at it and saying “if we are (singing) about drinking until we can’t walk, what message is that sending to the students?
— Meg Long, a program specialist at WAVE, via The Round Up in 2016
Long isn’t wrong, but she’s fighting an uphill battle. New Mexico State’s fight song is widely beloved by fans, students and alumni alike. Meanwhile, the football program actively pushed the fight song’s agenda following the rivalry win on Wednesday.
Looks like we're wobbling tonight
— New Mexico State Football (@NMStateFootball) October 19, 2023
Obviously, New Mexico State’s fight song is nothing more than a song. It is not meant to be taken too literally. It is meant to inspire its fanbase to get rowdy in support of their school.
The message might contradict with a large societal push to avoid binge drinking, but a few lyrics are not going to be the difference in whether it happens or not. Enjoy it and embrace it, don’t be a hater.
The Aggies were wobbling on Wednesday. They will hopefully stay wobbling as the season continues, just one win away from bowl eligibility!