Everyone who has been to a baseball game knows the seventh-inning stretch. During this break in the action, fans rise and stand and sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Although there is no clear evidence of who started the seventh-inning stretch, a Jesuit Brother may be the man.
Brother Jasper was the coach of the Manhattan College baseball team. He noticed that the fans and his players were getting edgy. He suggested a time-out in the middle of the seventh inning. The fans and players stood and relaxed; it was 1882. The custom spread to other leagues, including the majors. The first time “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” was played was a high school game in 1934.
If a game is only scheduled for seven innings, the song is sung in the fifth-inning stretch. If a game goes to extra innings, there is a fourteenth-inning stretch, a twenty-first-inning stretch, and so on. The period lasts for five to fifteen minutes. If it is a televised game, times can vary based on the number of commercials.
History of the Song “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”
In 1908, vaudeville performer Jack Norworth decided to cash in on the craze of songs about baseball. He wrote down some lyrics and went to see his co-writer, Albert Von Tilzer. Quickly the duo had a melody, and they were off to the races. Jack Norworth’s wife at the time, Nora Bayes, was the first to sing the song. Neither Norworth nor Von Tilzer had been to a baseball game.
There is a different story about Norworth’s motivation cited by Smithsonian Magazine. The magazine hypothesizes that Norworth wrote the song for his girlfriend, Trixie Friganza. Norworth was married three times and had many girlfriends. He was a noted womanizer.
Yet another inspirational story states that Norworth was riding the subway and saw an advertisement. It read Baseball Today – Polo Grounds. The Polo Grounds is where the New York Giants played. Norworth thought, what is the nation’s real pastime? Baseball was his answer. The rest is history.
The first recording of the song was a big success. It beat out other songs of the period like “Take Your Girl to the Ball Game,” “The Baseball Polka,” “It’s Great at a Baseball Game,” and others. But it wasn’t until 1934 that the song was played at a baseball game. Soon, it became a required ritual during the seventh-inning stretch at all baseball games.
The Lyrics
Not everyone realizes only the chorus of Take Me Out to the Ball Game is sung during the game. There are two different versions of the song. One was written in 1908, the other in 1927. Only eight lines from both versions are sung at baseball games.
There isn’t a solid explanation of why a second version of the song was written. However, in the 1927 version, not only Cracker Jacks get a plug, but also Coney Island. You wonder if Norworth and Von Tilzer were getting a piece of the action.
1908 Version of “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”
Katie Casey was Baseball mad,
I had the fever and had it bad.
Just to root for the hometown crew,
Ev’ry soul Katie Blew, (soul was a French word for a coin or penny)
On a Saturday, her young beau
I called to see if she wanted 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 Jacks,
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team (the team’s actual name can be substituted)
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,
I knew all the players by their first names,
He 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 Jacks,
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.
1927 Song Version
Nelly Kelly loves baseball games,
I knew all the players, knew all their names,
You could see her there ev’ry day,
Shout Hurray, when they’d play,
Her boyfriend by the name of Joe
Said, To Coney Isle, dear, let’s go, (shameless plug for Coney Island)
Then Nelly started to fret and pout.
And to him, I heard her shout.
Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd,
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks,
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.
Nelly Kelly was sure some fan.
She would root just like a man,
He told the umpire he was wrong,
All along, good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Nelly Kelly 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 Jacks,
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.
*There are two real differences between the two versions. One, Katie Casey becomes Nelly Kelly. Two, there is a shameless plug for Coney Island.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game – Tin Pan Alley
Take Me Out to the Ball Game is considered a Tin Pan Alley song. Tin Pan Alley was a music District in New York City. It consisted of five buildings on 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue. The buildings were home to music publishers, songwriters, and producers. It dominated the music industry from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.
The five buildings that housed the district were all designated as landmarks in 2019. In 2022, 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue was officially co-named Tin Pan Alley. Today, a plaque placed on the sidewalk of 28th Street calls out the buildings and the Tin Pan Alley name.
Other Songs Played at Baseball Games
God Bless America is played at the beginning of all professional baseball games played in America.
Oh, Canada is played at the beginning of all professional baseball games played in Canada.
New York, New York by Frank Sinatra is Played at the end of all Yankees games.
Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond is played in the eighth inning at Boston Red Sox games.
Blue Jays penned for the Toronto Blue Jays is played in the seventh inning stretch at all Toronto games.
If the Chicago Cubs win, the song Go Cubs Go by Steve Goodman is played at the end of the game.
Other great baseball/stadium songs include:
We Will Rock You – Queen
Glory Days – Bruce Springsteen
Cheap Seats – Alabama
Joe DiMaggio done it Again – Woody Guthrie
The Ballad of Ichiro Suzuki – Death Cab for Cutie
The Greatest – Kenny Rodgers
Hit the Road Jack – Ray Charles
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye – Steam
Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
Centerfield – John Fogerty
Of course, other music is provided by Walk-Up Songs. Walk-Up Songs are songs played as a new batter walks to the plate. The home team controls the Walk-Up Songs and can go a long way to motivate a crowd.
Notable Performances of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”
1.) The Goo Goo Dolls – The Goo Goo Dolls performed a memorable alternative rock version. In 1996, the band made the song their own. So much so that MLB recorded the song and used it for a series of What A Game commercials airing during the same period.
2.) Peter Frampton – In 2010, Frampton used his talk box voice changer to create a very eerie version of the song. It was strange but haunting the first time he played it at a Cincinnati Reds game. MLB liked it enough to record it on MLB.com.
3.) Pearl Jam – Pearl Jam and their lead singer Eddie Vedder have sung the song numerous times. In 1998 at Wrigley Field, Vedder took the mike very shakily. Cleary, Vedder had been over-served. He butchered the lyrics and flat-out forgot some, but the performance was entertaining. He and Pearl Jam were asked back to perform it again.
4.) Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong performed a well-received rendition of the song. His solid performance in 2009 won over the crowd and got them engaged. He will be asked back to sing again.
5.) WWF Star Jake the Snake – The famous wrestler performed the song at an Atlanta Braves game. The fans sat and watched with their mouths open. The singing was so off-key and offbeat that the fans walked away depressed.
See Baseball FAQs.
Celebrity Renditions
It’s unknown if Harry Carey started the tradition of a celebrity singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game. But since he began in the early 1970s, quite a few celebrities and singers have sung America’s Song. Here is a partial list:
Jim Balushi
Mr. T
Eddie Vedder
John Cusack
Ozzy Osborne
Mike Ditka
Michael J. Fox
Billy Corgan
Dan Patrick
Bill Murray
Yogi Beara
Mickey Mantle
Frank Sinatra
Gene Kelly
Carli Simon
Dr. John
Doris Day
The Andrew’s Sister
King Curtis
Frank Caliendo
Billie Joe Armstrong
Danika Patrik
Kellie Pickler
William Hung
David Cross
Jeff Gordon
Bill Skowron
Tony Romo
Aretha Franklin
LL Cool J
Harpo Marx
Ronald Reagan
Whitey Ford
Jay Cutler
John Mulaney
See 17 Reasons To Love The Savannah Bananas.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game Trivia
1.) The song has been featured in many movies, including The Naughty Nineties, A Night at the Opera, The Bad News Bears Go to Japan, and others.
2.) It was the basis for the movie Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The film featured Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra singing the song.
3.) It was the subject of a well-known episode of I Love Lucy.
4.) The song contains plugs for Cracker Jack and Coney Island.
5.) The 1908 version no longer has copyright protection like the 1927 version.
6.) The founders of Cracker Jack, Jack Fritz, and Louis Rueckheim benefited from the song. After its release, sales of Cracker Jacks soared.
7.) Famous Baseball Promoter Bill Veeck, Jr. heard Harry Carey singing the song in the seventh inning. He surprised Carey by having his microphone turned on the next time he sang the song.
8.) The original hand-written lyrics of the song are on display at the Baseball Hall of Fame.
9.) Jack Norwworth often performed in blackface.
10.) The 2009 NHL Winter Classic used “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” as their promotion. The game featured the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field.
Ken Burns Baseball Documentary
Ken Burns’s 1994 documentary Baseball used “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” extensively in its soundtrack. Carli Simon alone did two different versions of the song for the series. One version was dreamy and listless but engaging to the listener. The second version was peppier and made a solid call to the plate. After hearing her renditions, fans wanted more, and they got them.
The series uses the song numerous times. There are versions by Ms. Simon, Jacqueline Schwab, Dr. John, and George Rabbai. Harvey Hindermyer, and King Curtis. Viewers will hear country and western versions. A jazzy violin instrumental, delta blues, funeral dirge, and swing appears several times.
“It’s an amazingly flexible tune,” says Burns, “and we use it to denote whatever mood we feel is pertinent at the moment.”
Baseball will remain America’s Game for many years to come. There will be Take Me Out to the Ball Game as long as there is baseball.
By Tim Moodie
Tim Moodie does make it to several MLB games each year. Tim doesn’t have the best voice. But he tries his hardest when everyone stands and sings, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Extra Innings
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