Iowa Stubborn

"Iowa Stubborn" is a song by Meredith Willson from his 1957 musical The Music Man. It is the first sung number in the show, following the show's unusual spoken opening, "Rock Island". The piece is sung in a schottische or "soft-shoe" rhythm. In the lyrics, the reserved and stoic citizens of River City, Iowa seek to persuade a visitor to "give Iowa a try." They sing of their "chip-on-the-shoulder attitude we've never been without that we recall.... And we're so by God stubborn we can stand touchin' noses for a week at a time, and never see eye to eye."