Did you know Pennsylvania had an official state song? If so, can you sing the words or hum the melody without looking it up?
Until he heard it performed at the inauguration of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Jan. 17, 2023, state Rep. Russ Diamond said he didn’t realize the commonwealth had its own song. (“Pennsylvania,” by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner, was designated the official state song of Pennsylvania in 1990.)
So, when state Rep. Joe Ciresi, a Democrat from Montgomery County, fielded a bill that summer seeking to find a new, more memorable song than “Pennsylvania” to fill the role, Diamond – a Republican legislator from Lebanon County’s 102nd Legislative District – quickly agreed to cosponsor the bill.
“I gotta be honest, I didn’t even know we had a state song,” Diamond told LebTown during a telephone interview this week. “That’s half the reason we need a new one.”
And, although the issue wasn’t even on his radar before 2023, Diamond has wholeheartedly thrown his support behind the motion.
He hesitates to call “Pennsylvania” a “bad song,” he said – as he noted in a recent email to colleagues in the Legislature, “I’d argue there’s no such thing as bad music” – but said it’s not really suitable for the role.
“It’s more of a college football ‘rah-rah’ song, or even a drinking song,” Diamond said. “But it’s not something I’d see elementary school kids singing, or other musical groups. There’s one recording of it available publicly, and nobody else performs it.”
When it was performed at Shapiro’s inauguration, he said, “some of my colleagues came away saying, ‘Wait, that’s our state song?'” And that’s the problem, Diamond explained – Pennsylvania deserves something memorable.
The idea sort of snowballed from there, he added.
“Rep. Ciresi and I are friends. We both appreciate the arts and have a musical background,” Diamond said. “When his bill was coming forward, he asked me privately to vote for it on the floor. And it kind of dawned on me – I’m going to go home and make the bill obsolete and write the new state song.”
He told Ciresi his intentions and gave his version a title: “Pennsylvania: The Keystone of My Heart.”
“It just came to me like that,” Diamond said.
Writing the words and music took a little longer, although Diamond said he finished his initial draft in a few days.
“I shared it with Rep. Ciresi,” Diamond said. “He was, ‘OK, that’s a good start.’ A couple others have commented positively on it.”
The final version has four verses, referencing the Quakers, Independence Hall, Pennsylvania’s railroads and coal mines, steel and farming traditions, all linked with the following chorus:
Pennsylvania! Oh Pennsylvania!
Place where freedom got its start.
Pennsylvania! My Pennsylvania!
You’re the keystone of my heart.
“It had to be simple, so kids can sing it,” Diamond later explained. “It has to actually talk about Pennsylvania and what’s important in Pennsylvania, the history of Pennsylvania. I tried to weave the state slogan of virtue, liberty, and independence into it. I had to wrap all of that up in one ball.”
The melody that followed wasn’t complicated, he added. “That’s the thing with a simple tune, it’s simple to put it together.”
Back to the House
Ciresi’s bill received widespread support in the state House, passing by a 138-64 vote in June 2023, but the Senate failed to act on it and it didn’t advance. Now, with a new legislative session underway, Diamond said it’s likely to be revisited on the House floor and sent again to the Senate. He hopes this time, the Senate acts on it.
“I will go with bat for him,” Diamond said.
“He’s already put out a cosponsor memo for his bill. As soon as I saw it, I signed on,” he added. “Hopefully this is something that can move forward quickly. It passed overwhelmingly last session.”
The bill, if passed, would create a commission to find a new state song and would solicit new compositions from residents.
“Absolutely, I will submit mine,” Diamond said.
In an email to colleagues in the Legislature, dated Jan. 11, Diamond expressed his gratitude for “the spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship in which the 2025-26 legislative session was launched” on Jan. 7. Much of the email was devoted to the state song, first asking representatives to sign on as cosponsors of Ciresi’s bill to replace the selection.
“That’s not because it’s a bad song (I’d argue there’s no such thing as bad music), but some compositions are just better suited than others to serve as an official state song,” he wrote.
“Our state’s official song should be a relatively simple composition, easily recalled by the average Pennsylvanian, and readily adapted for arrangement and performance in a wide variety of musical styles. Elementary school music classes, adult choral groups, marching bands, symphonies, bluegrass groups, polka bands, acapella groups, concert bands, barbershop quartets, and even string bands in the Mummer’s parade should be able to adapt and perform our state song with ease. Our current official state song, while a fine composition, is not so memorable or adaptable.”
Diamond also provided a link to his new composition. “Now I’m not saying my song should become THE official state song, but it is a simple and adaptable composition that would be more suitable to the task,” he wrote. He then added: “Wait – who the heck am I trying to kid? My song would make an AWESOME official state song and I think it SHOULD be!!! However, that requires an act of the entire General Assembly and I am but one member of this august body. Also, my solid reputation as a quiet and modest public servant who avoids all divisiveness and controversy precludes me from selfishly introducing a bill to make my song our official state song. (Don’t let that deter any of you from offering it as an amendment to Rep. Ciresi’s bill, though!!!)”
Diamond concedes the Legislature will face “bigger and more difficult issues” in the months to come, but said, “finding bipartisan agreement on smaller matters will help foster relationships which will then allow us to find consensus and agreement on more important public policies.”
However, Diamond told LebTown doesn’t plan to shelve the song even if it’s not selected as the state’s anthem.
“I worked with Sam Barge, director of Berks Youth Chorus, who did a different arrangement of it, over the summer,” Diamond said. “The kids performed it there. They’re going to perform it again in the spring.”
Eventually, he added, “I want to get this into the hands of elementary school teacher in the state, whether or not it’ s the official state song. It’s more memorable than our current one … and it’s adaptable for arrangement for various musical styles.”
Previous PA state songs
“Pennsylvania,” by Eddie Khoury and Ronnie Bonner, features stirring lyrics touting the Keystone State’s role in the fight for independence.
The first verse, for instance, calls Pennsylvania “mighty,” “steeped in glory and tradition,” “where brave men fought the foe of freedom.” Its chorus simply says: “Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, may your future be filled with honor everlasting as your history.”
But it wasn’t the commonwealth’s first anthem.
“Pennsylvania” replaced “Hail, Pennsylvania!” which was the state song from 1895 until 1990.
Written by Edgar M. Dilley, the words of “Hail, Pennsylvania!” were set to the tune of “God Save the Tsar,” the national anthem of Imperial Russia. The song still serves as alma mater for the University of Pennsylvania and the official song of Lackawanna County. (Also, according to Lebanon County Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz, the Woman’s Club of Lebanon has been singing “Hail, Pennsylvania” monthly since its founding.)
“Hail! Pennsylvania! Noble and strong; to thee with loyal hearts, we raise our song,” the song proclaims. “Swelling to Heaven loud, our praises ring; Hail! Pennsylvania, of thee we sing!”
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