Happy 100th Birthday to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"!

[Richardo]

One hundred years ago, on this date in 1908, baseball's unofficial anthem "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was published. It instantly became one of the biggest sellers of that year, in both sheet music and on piano rolls.

One thing I never knew: The song as we know it today is merely the chorus of a two-stanza song, describing a woman baseball fan (!) and her choice of entertainment for a date with her boyfriend. Imagine that.

Here are the original lyrics:

Katie Casey was base ball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad;
Just to root for the home town crew,
Ev'ry sou Katie blew.
On a Saturday, he young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go,
To see a show but Miss Kate said,
"No, I'll tell you what you can do."

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game."

Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She made the gang sing this song:

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don't care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team,
If they don't win it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, your out,
At the old ball game."

...and here's a recording of a guy singing it on an Edison phonograph cylinder: http://www.tinfoil.com/e09926~.ram

[Faygo Kid]

1. Great post! Deserves a DUzy.

I actually knew that it was about a baseball date, but what an anniversary!

Ah, back in the day - I worshipped baseball as a kid in the early '60s.

Happy anniversary, you good old song, you.

The heck with peanuts and Cracker Jacks, puts me in the mood for a hot dog and a cold beer.

[Clear Blue Sky]

2. Nothing like the late Harry Caray singing it at Cubs games...