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Official State Song

Rocky Mountain High
by John Denver

   He was born in the summer of his 27th year,
   Comin' home to a place he'd never been before. 
   He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again.
   You might say he found a key for every door. 

   When he first came to the mountains his life was far away, 
   On the road and hangin' by a song.
   But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care.
   It keeps changin' fast and it don't last for long.

   But the Colorado rocky mountain high,
   I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky.
   The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye.
   Rocky mountain high.

   He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below.
   He saw everything as far as you can see.
   And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun
   And he lost a friend but kept his memory.

   Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams,
   Seeking grace in every step he takes.
   His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand
   The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake.

   And the Colorado rocky mountain high,
   I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky.
   You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply.
   Rocky mountain high.

   Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear
   Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend.
   Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more,
   More people, more scars upon the land.

   And the Colorado rocky mountain high,
   I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky.
   I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly.
   Rocky mountain high.

   It's Colorado rocky mountain high,
   I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky.
   Friends around the campfire and everybody's high.
   Rocky mountain high./PRE>

About this state song

Rocky Mountain High John Denver

The State of Colorado already had a state song when "Rocky Mountain High" was proposed in Senate Joint Resolution No. 07-023 on March 08, 2007. Adopted in 1915, "Where the Columbines Grow" has been serving Colorado for almost 100 years.

Challenges were made to "Where the Columbines Grow" over the years and in the early nineties a group of fourth graders from Fort Collins decided that the 1972s "Rocky Mountain High", a popular folk-pop tune by John Denver would make a great replacement for "Where the Columbines Grow." This idea didn't get very far.

Tragedy struck on October 12, 1997 when John Denver died in a plane crash off the coast of California. Within a month, Fort Smith fourth-grader Kari Neuman rallied her Johnson Elementary School classmates for a letter-writing campaign to change the official state song to "Rocky Mountain High." Again, the idea didn't get off the ground.

Now, ten years after Denver's death, Colorado Senator Bob Hagedorn has succeeded in elevating "Rocky Mountain High" to the status of a second state song by Senate Joint Resolution. Though we at NETSTATE consider this resolution an "official" act, it does not require the signature of the Governor and will not be codified in the Colorado Statutes with "Where the Columbines Grow."

On March 12, 2007, the Colorado General Assembly declared

That we, the members of the General Assembly, do hereby designate John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" as one of the official state songs ranking equally with "Where the Columbines Grow".

The full text of Senate Joint Resolution No. 07-023 follows.

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 07?023

BY SENATOR(S) Hagedorn, Schwartz, Bacon, Boyd, Fitz-Gerald, Gordon, Groff, Isgar, Johnson, Keller, Kester, Mitchell S., Morse, Penry, Romer, Sandoval, Shaffer, Takis, Tapia, Veiga, Ward, Williams, Windels, and Tochtrop;
also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Todd, Benefield, Borodkin, Buescher, Butcher, Carroll M., Carroll T., Casso, Cerbo, Curry, Fischer, Gallegos, Garcia, Gibbs, Green, Kefalas, Kerr A., Labuda, Levy, Liston, Marostica, Massey, McFadyen, McNulty, Merrifield, Primavera, Rice, Rose, Solano, Soper, Stafford, Summers, White, and Witwer.

CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION OF "ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH" AS AN OFFICIAL STATE SONG OF COLORADO.

WHEREAS, John Denver, born as Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., adopted his stage name because he identified with the Rocky Mountain capital city of Colorado and considered Colorado his home state; and

WHEREAS, John Denver moved to Aspen, Colorado, in 1970; and

WHEREAS, One of the world's best?known and best?loved performers, John Denver earned international acclaim as a songwriter, performer, actor, environmentalist, and humanitarian; and

WHEREAS, The Colorado country and environment served as an inspiration for many of John Denver's songs, and he shared his love for Colorado by eloquently expressing it through his music; and

WHEREAS, John Denver is best known as a folk?pop singer of songs such as "Rocky Mountain High" that describe the beauty of the Colorado Rockies; and

WHEREAS, In 1915, Colorado adopted "Where the Columbines Grow", which was written and composed by A.J. Fynn, as the official state song; and

WHEREAS, John Denver's song "Rocky Mountain High" reflects the strength and beauty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the importance of preserving the natural beauty of our state; and

WHEREAS, It is still deemed desirable to have official state songs; and

WHEREAS, "Where the Columbines Grow" is still regarded as admirably suited for such purpose; and

WHEREAS, "Where the Columbines Grow" and "Rocky Mountain High" should each be named official state songs of the state; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-sixth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:

That we, the members of the General Assembly, do hereby designate John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" as one of the official state songs ranking equally with "Where the Columbines Grow".

Source: The Colorado Legislature, (http://www.leg.state.co.us), March 12, 2007
Source: Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., (http://www.bender.com), November 20, 2004
Source: Colorado Central Magazine, (http://www.cozine.com), November 20, 2004

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