Bright College Years

Bright College Years

Sung by the 2006 Yale Whiffenpoofs

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"Bright College Years" is one of the traditional songs of Yale University, and the university's unofficial but undisputed alma mater. It was written in 1881 by Henry Durand and set to the tune of "Die Wacht am Rhein".^[1]

In some old songbooks and publications, the song can be found under the name "Dear Old Yale", possibly a reference to the closing words of another popular Yale song, Neath the Elms: "Jolly, jolly are the days neath the elms of dear old Yale!"^{[citation needed]}

During World War I and shortly afterward, "Bright College Years" was nearly banned for its German origins. Yale men stationed in Paris sang it to the tune of "La Marseillaise".^[1]