This 1908 recording of Take me out to the ballgame was sung by Edward meeker just after the song was published
LyricsKatie Casey was base ball mad.
Had the fever and had it bad; Just to root for the home town crew, Evry 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." "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." |
AnalysisTake Me Out to the Ballgame incorporates the slang of the day into the lyrics “she had the fever and had it bad,” and “spent every [penny] sou [she had]” on baseball which means that she was engrossed with the sport. This informal way of talking was similar to that of many who frequented these ballgames and increased the song’s popularity with the crowd (Shmoop Editorial Team.). Also, the lyrics describe Casey as a die hard fan “who didn't care if she ever got back” which mirrored that of baseball enthusiasts. Booing the umpire is a tradition as old as the game itself. In 1878, the National League ordered the home team to pay umpires a stipend of $5 per game, and the next year the league compiled a list of 20 approved umpires to call all games. While not officially recorded, the first instance of a fan booing an umpire most likely occurred in one of those very first games (Shmoop Editorial Team.). The song’s lyrics describe a trip to the park with thousands of like-minded acquaintances, enjoying a snack, wanting to stay there as long as possible, and reveling in the bliss of a home-team victory (Simons). The “one, two, three strikes, your out,” forever glorified not the hit, but the pitch (Roberts). |