Oregon’s state song needs to change share Did you know Oregon has a state song? I had no idea until I read an article from OPB about the song and its origins. The song, “Oregon, My Oregon,” was written by songwriters Henry B. Murtagh and John A. Buchanan for a contest sponsored by the Society of Oregon Composers in 1920, and the state legislature adopted it as the official state song in 1927, which it has remained ever since. Its lyrics praise the settlers of Oregon, the beauty of the Pacific Ocean and the fair weather of the state. It’s also incredibly racist.