Howard Dietz & Arthur Schwartz 1948
Written for a Broadway musical revue, Inside USA, which celebrated each of the then 48 states. It played 399 performances and ran one year, closing on Valentine's Day of 1949. It has traditionally been interpreted as a love song, from its musical theater inception to later covers, notably by artist Blossom Dearie. In Inside USA, the song was originated by Jack Haley and Estelle Loring.
Copper comes from Arizona
Peaches come from Georgia
And lobsters come from Maine
The wheat fields are the sweet fields of Nebraska
And Kansas gets bonanzas from the grain
Old whiskey comes from old Kentucky
Ain’t the country lucky New Jersey gives us glue
Chorus:
And you, you come from Rhode Island
And little old Rhode Island is famous for you
Cotton comes from Louisiana
Gophers from Montana
And spuds from Idaho
They plow land in the cow land of Missouri
Where most beef meant for roast beef seems to grow
Grand canyons come from Colorado
Gold comes from Nevada Divorces also do
Pencils come from Pennsylvania
Vests from Vest Virginia
And Tents from Tent-essee
They know mink where they grow mink in Wyo-mink
A camp chair in New Hamp-chair, that’s for me
And minnows come from Minnesota
Coats come from Dakota But why should you be blue