Baylor University says it now owns the copyright to its fight song, whose ownership had been unclear since the 1940s. The new arrangement distinguishes it from previously published versions while preserving the 1947 composition’s melody, lyrics and harmony.
Baylor formally named the piece “Baylor Fight: Bear Down, You Bears!” Its most noticeable change is a call-and-response during the crowd’s “B-A-Y-L-O-R” spelling: the band’s upper voices add a short fanfare after each letter, while the original melody continues underneath.
Baylor said the university could face significant legal risk if it did not own the copyright. It said the change was intended to preserve the tradition while letting the university manage the song going forward.
