“Old Folks at Home” is Florida’s current state song, replacing “Florida, My Florida” in 1935. The song was originally written about the Pee Dee River, not the Suwanee River, and has been criticized for possible racist undertones. The song was written by Steven Collins Foster, who also wrote “My Old Kentucky Home,” among other well-known songs.
Florida’s state song is known as “Old Folks at Home,” written by Steven Collins Foster in 1851. While it is the current state song in the state of Florida, it is not the state’s first official state song. That honor, however, belongs to “Florida, My Florida,” written in 1894 by the Rev. CV Waugh. While there wasn’t much controversy during the song’s replacement, “Old Folks at Home” has since come under intense scrutiny.
Ironically, the river made famous by the song, the Suwanee River, sometimes referred to as the Swanee River, was not the river referred to in the original version of the song. Rather, the tune that would become Florida’s state song originally referred to the Pee Dee River, which flows through parts of North Carolina and South Carolina to the Atlantic Ocean. Why the original lyrics were changed to refer to the Florida River has remained unclear.
“Old Folks at Home” replaced Florida’s original state song in 1935 when the Florida Legislature decided to make the change in its 25th regular session. “Florida, My Florida” had been the state song since 1913. Foster had died decades before the change was made to Florida’s state song. Therefore, whatever the motivation for changing the lyrics, it was probably not so that the song could be called the state song of a particular state.
The song is sung in the first person from the point of view of a person who remembers his old home in Florida. It can be inferred that the house is located along or near the Suwanee River, which runs through a portion of Northern Florida. It begins with the familiar phrase: “Down on the Suwanee River, far, far away.”
In recent years, the song has been criticized as possible with racist undertones. A petition has been started to restore Florida’s original state song. Some of the song’s lyrics have been replaced, if unofficially, then at least unofficially, in certain situations.
“Old Folks at Home” is one of a long list of songs Foster has to his credit. He is also credited with “My Old Kentucky Home,” which is the state song of Kentucky. Other well-known songs Foster wrote include “Camptown Races” and “Susanna,” both with a history in American folk music.
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