ERIK SCHELZIG
Associated Press Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - For a state known for its songwriting, it might not come as a surprise that Tennessee has seven state songs.
But some lawmakers are balking at a proposal for an eighth, called "So I'll Just Shine in Tennessee (I'm a Jackson, Tennessee Nugget)." The song is written by Brenda Monroe-Moses, a former city councilwoman in Jackson, and Mildred Lewis Atkins.
The song's chorus includes: "Honey, my roots run deep in Jackson / So I'll just shine in Tennessee / Honey, my roots run deep in Jackson / So I'll just shine in Tennessee."
Democratic Rep. Johnnie Shaw of Bolivar, the measure's main sponsor, said Jackson can be replaced in the chorus by any city or town in Tennessee. The measure was advanced by the House State Government Subcommittee without debate on Tuesday.
But Republican Sen. Tim Burchett of Knoxville, who in 2003 sponsored a resolution that made songwriting one Tennessee's official art forms, said the new song might not best represent the best Tennessee has to offer.
"I think quite a few a few songwriters would be rolling in their graves if they knew about this," he said. "I wouldn't want to do anything to discourage anyone, but I'm not so sure this song is the way to go."
Burchett's 2003 resolution honored Tennessee songwriters ranging from Johnny Cash to Isaac Hayes, and noted Nashville's status as "Music City, USA," Memphis as the cradle of the blues and Jimmie Rogers as "the father of country music."
The best known among the state's current crop of official songs include "Tennessee Waltz" and "Rocky Top."
The proposed new state song contrasts the virtues of Jackson with those of other American places, both real and fictional,
"So let the Dukes escape from Haz-zard / Let the motors hum in Dee-troit...," the song goes. "Let bright lights show up Las Vegas / I'll show off love's light in me."
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Read HJR0817 at http://capitol.tn.gov