VIDEO: Joe Paterno Supporters Sing Penn State Alma Mater At Statue Vigil
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Penn St. Nittany Lions students, fans and supporters gathered Saturday night around the on-campus statue in Joe Paterno's likeness to pay respects to the football coach, who's in ailing condition at a nearby hospital. In the light of Sunday morning, it's easier to see the tokens that are being left at the statue's feet, including still-burning candles, signs, flowers and Nittany Lions memorabilia, and it's evident snow has been shoveled away.
Late Saturday, the gathered crowd softly sang Penn State’s alma mater while swaying with their arms around each other. PennLive.com captured video of the moment:
You can hear individuals sobbing throughout, while the conclusion of the song introduces a painful, somber silence. The song’s lyrics:
For the glory of old State,
For her founders strong and great,
For the future that we wait,
Raise the song, raise the song.
Sing our love and loyalty,
Sing our hopes that, bright and free,
Rest, O Mother dear, with thee,
All with thee, all with thee.
When we stood at childhood’s gate,
Shapeless in the hands of fate,
Thou didst mold us, dear old State,
Dear old State, dear old State.
May no act of ours bring shame
To one heart that loves thy name,
May our lives but swell thy fame,
Dear old State, dear old State.
For more on Paterno, visit Penn State blog Black Shoe Diaries. For more college football, stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub.
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