History
The first lyrics were written in 1918 by Ballard MacDonald and the music by Robert A. "Bobo" King, who used the name Mary Earl. A bill passed by the Ohio General Assembly in 1969 made it the state's official song and in 1989 adopted an amendment to section 5.09 of the Ohio Revised Code which changed the original words to a new set, written by Wilbert McBride.
"Beautiful Ohio" was originally written as a love song by Ballard MacDonald whose lyrics depict a "paradise of love divine." When McBride rewrote the lyrics for the 1989 version he gave a much more accurate portrayal of Ohio by including things such as the state's cities and factories rather than two imaginary lovers.
Read more about this topic: Beautiful Ohio
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