I sailed away; wandered afar;
Crossed the mighty restless sea;
Looked for where I ought to be.
Cities so grand, mountains above,
Led to this land I love.  

Chorus

Beautiful Ohio, where the golden grain
Dwarf the lovely flowers in the summer rain.
Cities rising high, silhouette the sky.
Freedom is supreme in this majestic land;
Mighty factories seem to hum in tune, so grand.
Beautiful Ohio, thy wonders are in view,
Land where my dreams all come true!  

Original Chorus as written by Ballard MacDonald  

Drifting with the current down a moonlit stream
While above the Heavens in their glory gleam
And the stars on high
Twinkle in the sky
Seeming in a paradise of love divine
Dreaming of a pair of eyes that looked in mine
Beautiful Ohio, in dreams again I see
Visions of what used to be. 

"Beautiful Ohio" became the state song in 1989. The music was composed by Mary Earl, and the original lyrics were written by Ballard MacDonald. In 1989, the Ohio legislature adopted an amendment to section 5.09 of the Ohio Revised Code that changed the words of the state song. The new lyrics are the work of Youngstown attorney Wilbert McBride. Ohio Revised Code describing the state song: (1989 S 33, eff. 11-6-89; 1989 H 457)
source: Ohio Public Library Information Network