The Baseball Song: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Years ago when Darling Hubby and I attended Astro ballgames fairly regularly, the 7th inning stretch always featured the song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

This year, fans in the stands sang that song  during the 7th inning stretch in every major league park except 3. New York Yankees fans sang “God Bless America,” Toronto Blue Jays fans sang “OK Blue Jays,”and Houston Astros fans sang “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

Even though I’m an Astros fan, I personally, I like it when we sing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” I’m sure that’s because I first heard it when I was a child. My grandfather whistled and sang it.

I remember many a night when I visited my grandparents in the summer, when my Papa would tune in the Chicago Cubs game on the radio. Back then, I think the Cubbies games were broadcast all over the U.S. I’d listen until I fell asleep.

Words & Music of the Baseball Song

In case you didn’t know, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is the 3rd most sung song in America.

In 1908, 29-year-old songwriter Jack Norworth was riding a subway to Manhattan. 

He glanced out the window and saw a billboard that read: Baseball today—polo grounds. 

Inspired by what he read, he impulsively wrote the lyrics we love. Later that year, he and Albert von Tilzer, his friend who was a music composer, filed a Copyright application for the song with the United States Copyright Office.

In 1934, the song was performed at a baseball game for the first time. Later that year, it was performed at a Major League Baseball game.

Then in 1946, the tradition of singing this “baseball anthem” in the seventh inning was established when the band started playing the song during a game while fans stood for the seventh inning stretch.

Oddly enough Norworth didn’t attend a Major League Baseball game until June 27, 1940—32 years after writing the lyrics. Eventually, Major League Baseball, Inc. presented him with a gold lifetime ball park pass.

To read more about this song and to learn the lyrics beyond the chorus we all know, visit The History of the Song.

Joan Reeves aka SlingWords: The Word Slinging Adventures of Joan Reeves