“Goodbye to Texas University” was the original title of the “Aggie War Hymn” and the first words sung in the second verse of the song. 

Even though Texas A&M University and the University of Texas haven’t played each other in football since 2011, 96 years of rivalry history will come back in full force this fall. 

“I missed being a part of that (rivalry week) conversation when we were playing LSU,” said assistant athletic director Brad Marquardt. “And we hate LSU. It’s just not the same as the hate that is there between the University of Texas and Texas A&M.”

“So long to the orange and the white.”

Marquardt has been an Aggie fan for a long time. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1988 and has worked for the Texas A&M athletic communications staff for 35 years, so he remembers what the rivalry used to be like. 

“Everybody in the state cared about that game,” Marquardt said. “Generally, but not always, it was on Thanksgiving and you’re with your family and watching that game.”

“Good luck to dear old Texas Aggies.” 

For many people in Texas, the rivalry runs deep because they know someone at the rival school: a friend, a coworker or a family member. 

“Everybody knows somebody,” Marquardt said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun going toward that game and talking about who has a bragging right.”

“They are the boys that show the real old fight.” 

Marquardt found the rivalry game during his junior year of college, in 1987, to be particularly memorable. At the time, he was working his first year in athletics as a student. 

“Kyle Field, when Bucky (Richardson) ran in for that touchdown, was so loud,” Marquardt said. “It’s the loudest I think I’ve ever heard Kyle Field and we were only at 78,000 capacity.”

The stadium has grown since then, and now can hold over 100,000 people. 

“‘The Eyes of Texas are upon you …’ that is the song they sing so well.” 

The line is usually followed by “Sounds like …” and then a word that cannot be published. 

“So goodbye to Texas University.” 

A rivalry game tradition for the Aggies was the Texas Aggie Bonfire, a massive 60-foot log stack lit before the game. At the top of the Bonfire sat an outhouse known as the “T.U. tea room” or “T.U. frat house.”

“We’re all going to beat you all Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem.” 

But when Bonfire collapsed in 1999, resulting in the death of 12 students and injury of 27 others, the University suspended the tradition. 

“Rough tough! Real stuff! Texas A&M!” 

Now, a smaller bonfire is built off-campus, not sponsored by the university.

“Saw varsity’s horns off.” 

This line is repeated several times, while fans put their arms around each other and sway, “sawing off” Bevo’s horns.

“Varsity’s horns are sawed off.” 

And A&M fans will show what varsity’s horns look like after sawing them off. The Aggies never stopped using the “horns down” hand gesture since the last time the two teams played one another in 2011. 

It’s been over ten years since the “Aggie War Hymn” has been able to apply to the game the Aggies are playing, so the song might be sung a little louder when the Longhorns roll into College Station for the first time in over a decade.