Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Jack Norworth, who wrote the lyrics to baseball's anthem in 1908, knew the game but never saw a major league game until 34 years later!

Norworth, who also wrote "Shine On Harvest Moon", is quoted in "Three Men on Third" (Carl Sifakis; New York: Prentice Hall, 1994) regarding his long absence from the park. He said, "So what? Harry Williams wrote 'In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree' and I am sure he never saw a blade of grass. If he ever got three blocks off 26th Street in Manhattan, it was a great occasion."

His composer was Albert Von Tilzer, who himself never saw a major league game until 1928.

The song is now in the public domain, and was featured in several versions on the soundtrack of the mini-series "Baseball: A Film by Ken Burns", including a superb rendition by Carly Simon.

Katie Casey was baseball mad
Had the fever and had it bad
Just to root for the home town crew
Every sou Katie blew
On a Saturday her 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
(Chorus:)
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 ever 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
Chorus

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CharlieZ at verizon dot net - last updated 20-Jan-1997