On the Banks of the Old Ponchartrain On the Banks of the Old Ponchartrain On the Banks of the Old Ponchartrain is a song written by Hank Williams and Ramona Vincent. It was the singer's second single on MGM Records, released in September 1947. According to biographer Colin Escott, Ramona Vincent, a crippled woman, wrote the words of the song as a poem and sent it to Williams, who put a melody to it. The song was paired with Fred Rose's novelty "Fly Trouble," resulting in perhaps the oddest single the singer ever released. The song was recorded at Castle Studio in Nashville on August 4, 1947
On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away song's lyrics and required uses were added to the Indiana Code. The state song was the first official symbol of Indiana, adopted four years before the state flag. In 1925 Indiana General Assembly passed legislation that required Indiana's public school teachers to teach the song as part of their curriculum. That same year the "New York Times" reported that 20,000 copies of the song were distributed to the state's public school teachers. The song is often played at major sporting events, including the Indianapolis 500. Although "On the Banks of Wabash, Far Away" is Indiana's official song, "Back Home Again