Thunder shakers - There's something in that song

[Swansongster]

As Swans fans, we love our victory song. Clearly, it is one of the better ones in the AFL. As you may or may not know, this song was borrowed holus bolus from Notre Dame University in Indiana, USA and adopted by the Swans with a few word changes.

Not sure how many people on here follow US college football but Notre Dame (The Fighting Irish) is currently rated #1 of all the college football teams in the States. In the US, they have myriad conferences, leagues and championships and a panel of journalists nominates each week a list of the top 25 teams and, at the end of the season, #1 and #2 play off in the national championship game.

A win over University of Southern California on the weekend secured ND a place in the BCS Championship game and completed their first perfect regular season since 1988. This game is perhaps the 2nd biggest single sporting date each year in the USA (after the Super Bowl). College footbal is huge in the US.

All season, they have been unsung, disrespected, underestimated and have won games from almost impossible positions, playing their best footy with their backs against the wall and when it really counted. Sound familiar? Kindred bloods?

There's gotta be something it that song that really inspires its keepers to shake down thunder and honour the name they represent. I have been following ND ever since seeing an old B&W movie about a famous coach of theirs ("Knute Rockne, All American") and one of their most famous football players in a 100-plus year history (George 'The Gipper' Gipp, a role played by Ronald Reagan). He was a star on the pitch before getting ill and dying suddenly.

The Notre Dame victory march is also a very famous song and featured a lot in the movie and I thought, "so that's where our song came from".

I recommend watching the movie if you ever come across it and the big game in a few weeks. I'll be rooting for the thunder shakers.

BCS Bowl Projections: Notre Dame Grabs Title Game Spot; Alabama Picked To Join Irish

Knute Rockne, All American - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[royboy42]

Have a look at the Notre Dame marching band with the original version of "Cheer Cheer' and their words formed the basis of ours as well.
Somewhere I've seen the original correspondence between Swans and Notre Dame where we asked permission to use their song..and they graciously agreed.

The second verse is the one we adapted.

Rally sons of Notre Dame:
Sing her glory and sound her fame,
Raise her Gold and Blue
And cheer with voices true:
Rah, rah, for Notre Dame
We will fight in ev-ry game,
Strong of heart and true to her name
We will ne'er forget her
And will cheer her ever
Loyal to Notre Dame

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echoes cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory.

Notre Dame Fight Song by Notre Dame Marching Band Inside Notre Dame Stadium - YouTube

[undy]

Did I read that right ?
A bunch of journalists decide who will be in the Grand Final ?

[ernie koala]

Great stuff.
I'm an avid New Orleans Saints fan, in the NFL,and also root for LSU, as my Brother lives there and Sister in law is a born and bred local.
I'll now be following the 'Fighting Irish' as well......Great stuff

[jono2707]

Even though I was an exchange student at Indiana University down the road a few hours, I've always had a soft spot for old Notre Dame. They have a fine football tradition and we should all root for them in the championship game.....

And yes the 'Grand Final' is decided by Committee - which creates hours of discussion and conjecture, but everyone pretty much accepts that the winner deserves to be crowned national champion.....

[goswannies]

While you're watching films about Notre Dame, I would recommend "Rudy" with Sean Astin. Also features the Notre Dame march

[Triple B]

Love them or hate them, it's hard to argue that Port Adelaide (SANFL version) haven't had a pretty good run as well over the years.

Mind you, 'Cheer cheer the black and the white' almost makes you want to puke...

[Swansongster]

Did I read that right ?
A bunch of journalists decide who will be in the Grand Final ?

Yeah. It's an interesting concept but they have been doing it that way for a long time.

It's a faily large panel and there is process behind the way they select colleges.

All the same, you'd suspect our Melbourne centric media would have picked a Collingwood v. Hawthorn Grand Final this year if left to their prejudices.

[Swansongster]

Love them or hate them, it's hard to argue that Port Adelaide (SANFL version) haven't had a pretty good run as well over the years.

Mind you, 'Cheer cheer the black and the white' almost makes you want to puke...

Didn't know it was their song as well (and B&W version would make we want to puke). That must piss off Port (AFL) fans.

[Triple B]

All the same, you'd suspect our Melbourne centric media would have picked a Collingwood v. Hawthorn Grand Final this year if left to their prejudices.

We'd have been lucky to have made the eight in the last 20 years under that system...

[royboy42]

Even though I was an exchange student at Indiana University down the road a few hours, I've always had a soft spot for old Notre Dame. They have a fine football tradition and we should all root for them in the championship game.....

And yes the 'Grand Final' is decided by Committee - which creates hours of discussion and conjecture, but everyone pretty much accepts that the winner deserves to be crowned national champion.....

It's a complicated system to establish the top college side in the US each year.

With 6 conferences in contention and . I think, 4 others included each year, it used to set up a hopelessly unwieldy final series involving 30 or 40 teams..just unmanageable.

They tried all sorts of ways to fix it , and the current one seems to be the most effective. Journos vote, plus computer projections..sounds as if it could never work but seems to have the two best sides compete in the BCS every year.

Hardly been an argument since 98 when they introduced this system.

And ND making up one of the finalists this year is a lay down misere!

[dimelb]

Love them or hate them, it's hard to argue that Port Adelaide (SANFL version) haven't had a pretty good run as well over the years.

Mind you, 'Cheer cheer the black and the white' almost makes you want to puke...

I can't recall the date, but the words appeared on the Collingwood banner at the MCG a couple of seasons ago. I thought it was a bit cheeky and I was peeved.

[goswannie14]

Love them or hate them, it's hard to argue that Port Adelaide (SANFL version) haven't had a pretty good run as well over the years.

Mind you, 'Cheer cheer the black and the white' almost makes you want to puke...

Why is it the balck and white teams have to have the word fight in them?

[Triple B]

Why is it the balck and white teams have to have the word fight in them?

It's just tough guy talk to offset the 'cakewalk'...

[neilfws]

Rewatched Flying High (or as the rest of the world calls it, Airplane) a few years ago. I'd forgotten that the Notre Dame Victory March plays over the end credits and was quite confused for a second to hear what's become "The Swans tune" in my mind.