Bright College Years

The Song

'Bright College Years' is the name of the Yale University alma mater. It was written in 1881 by H.S. Durand, with music composed by Carl Wilhelm from 'Die Wacht am Rhein', 1854.The song is performed quite regularly, a favorite of the Yale Glee Club especially. Of course it is also traditionally sung at graduation. In addition, Tom Lehrer's 'Bright College Days' is a parody of this song, understandable since he did go to the other school. The lyrics are:

Bright College years, with pleasure rife,
The shortest, gladdest years of life;
How swiftly are ye gliding by!
Oh, why doth time so quickly fly?

The seasons come, the seasons go,
The earth is green or white with snow,
But time and change shall naught avail
To break the friendships formed at Yale.

In after years, should troubles rise
To cloud the blue of sunny skies,
How bright will seem, through mem'ry's haze
Those happy, golden, bygone days!

Oh, let us strive that ever we
May let these words our watch-cry be,
Where'er upon life's sea we sail:
"For God, for Country and for Yale!"

The Book

'Bright College Years : Inside the American College Today,' by Anne Matthews, looks at the college experience and how it is changing. I have not read it, but it has been well received by young and old.

The Show

This title was also given to a PBS documentary in 1971 addressing the student revolution as part of a series on the Sixties. By Joseph E. Levine and Avco-Embassy Motion Pictures, it won the Gold Hugo award at the Chicago Film Festival and Best First-Feature Film at Cannes Film Festival.