Bow Down to Washington

file
help

Bow Down to Washington is the official fight song of the University of Washington.^[1]^[2]^[3] It was written by Lester J. Wilson in 1915 while partaking in a competition requesting a new song for the university.^[1]^[2] The competition was sponsored by the campus newspaper, The Daily, and had a grand prize of US$25 (the equivalent of $655 in 2021).

"Bow Down to Washington" was first used as a fight song at the Washington-California football game on November 6, 1915, in a 72–0 away victory.^[4]^[5] The lyrics were first published one week later in the home program for the November 13, 1915 contest at Denny Field, again versus California.^[6] The original lyrics refer frequently to California and snaring the Golden Bear, but later versions of the song dropped these lines.^[3]^[4]

The song is typically played and sung at all University of Washington sporting events at which the University of Washington Husky Marching Band is present, including all football, basketball, and volleyball games.

Lyrics

Bow Down to Washington, Bow Down to Washington.
Mighty are the men who wear the Purple and the Gold,
Joyfully we welcome them within the Victor's fold.
We will carve our name in the Hall of Fame,
To preserve the memory of our Devotion.

So, heaven help the foes of Washington,
They're trembling at the feet of mighty Washington.
Our boys are there with bells, their fighting blood excels,
It's harder to push them over the lines than pass the Dardanelles.
So Victory's the cry of Washington
Our leather lungs together with a Rah! Rah! Rah!
And o'er the land, the loyal band
Will sing the glory of Washington forever!^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b Marmor, Jon (September 2001). "A contest and a whim inspired UW's fight song". Columns. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Borland, Lynn (December 2014). "The birth of 'Bow Down to Washington' — One of the best fight songs of all time turns 100 in 2015". Columns. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
^ ^a ^b Caple, Jim (October 24, 2018). "'It's harder to push them over the line than pass the Dardanelles': The history behind 'Bow Down to Washington'". The Athletic. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Bow Down to Washington — UW Music Library Special Collections". University of Washington Libraries. Retrieved December 5, 2012.
^ "Bow Down to Washington". UWTV. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
^ "Souvenir program, football game : University of Washington vs. University of California, Saturday, November 13, 1915, Denny Field, Seattle, Washington". University of Washington Football Programs. Denny Field: University of Washington Associated Students. November 13, 1915. p. 26. Retrieved January 24, 2022.

University of Washington

Located in: Seattle, Washington

Schools

Departments	Bioengineering Continuum College Geography Global Health

Athletics

Teams	Washington Huskies Football Seasons Bowls QBs NFL Draft Men's basketball Women's basketball Baseball Crew Conibear Shellhouse Softball Men's soccer Women's soccer Women's volleyball
Venues	Husky Stadium Hec Edmundson Pavilion Husky Ballpark
Other	Apple Cup Dubs Harry the Husky Hendrix the Husky

Campus

Museums	Burke Museum Henry Art Gallery

Media

KEXP-FM/Seattle
- KEXC/Alameda, CA
KUOW-FM/Seattle
- KUOW/Tumwater–Olympia
University of Washington Television

People

Research

Student life

Associated Students
"Bow Down to Washington"
GPSS
Housing
Husky Marching Band
The Daily of the University of Washington

Campuses

Miscellaneous

Founded: 1861

v t e Washington Huskies football
Venues	Various (1889–1894) Denny Field (1895–1920) CenturyLink Field (2011–2012) Husky Stadium (1920–2011, 2013–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Oregon Washington State: Apple Cup Northwest Championship
Culture & lore	Dubs Harry the Husky "Bow Down to Washington" Husky Marching Band Quarterback U The Wave 1985 Oregon State game Whammy in Miami
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders Starting quarterbacks NFL draftees Annual awards
Seasons	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Washington Huskies men's basketball
Venues	Hec Edmundson Pavilion (1927–present)
Rivalries	Gonzaga Washington State
Culture & lore	Harry the Husky "Bow Down to Washington" The 6th Man
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1895–96 1896–98 1898–99 1899–1901 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Washington Huskies women's basketball
Venues	Hec Edmundson Pavilion (1975–present)
Culture & lore	History Harry the Husky "Bow Down to Washington"
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Official fight songs of the Big Ten Conference
Illinois Loyalty and Oskee Wow-Wow (Illinois) Indiana, Our Indiana (Indiana) Iowa Fight Song (Iowa) Maryland Fight Song and Maryland Victory (Maryland) The Victors (Michigan) Victory for MSU (Michigan State) Minnesota Rouser (Minnesota) Hail Varsity and Dear Old Nebraska U (There Is No Place Like Nebraska) (Nebraska) Go U Northwestern (Northwestern) Across the Field and Buckeye Battle Cry (Ohio State) Mighty Oregon (Oregon) Fight On, State (Penn State) Hail Purdue! (Purdue) The Bells Must Ring (Rutgers) Sons of Westwood (UCLA) Fight On (USC) Bow Down to Washington (Washington) On, Wisconsin! (Wisconsin)

Official fight songs of the Big Ten Conference