In baseball, the seventh-inning stretch is a long-standing tradition. It is a moment in the game that offers fans a reprieve from their cheers and heckles, giving them a chance to stretch their legs, grab a refreshment, and sing along to an equally long-standing tradition.
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The hundred-year-old tune, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” is the anthem of baseball. It is guaranteed to be played anywhere you find bats, bases, and fans eager to belt out every word. But how did a song, written by two people who had never even seen a baseball game, become such an enduring sports tradition?
The Origins
Lyricist Jack Norworth and composer Albert Von Tilzer wrote “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” in 1908. Norworth was inspired to write the song while riding the subway where he spotted an advertisement for an upcoming baseball game.
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The tune would make its game-day debut in 1934. Its supposed first-known debut was at a high school game. It could also be heard during the fourth game of the World Series later that year, and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” has been on heavy rotation pretty much ever since.
According to the book, Baseball’s Greatest Hit: The Story of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” Von Tilzer wouldn’t attend his first baseball game until 20 years after the song was recorded; for Norworth it would be 32 years.
The Whole Story
“Take Me Out to the Ball Game” is more than just its iconic chorus. The tune is never sung in its entirety during the seventh-inning stretch, but the lyrics tell a story.
Katie Casey was baseball mad, the song begins. The Katie in the song is also known to be interchangeable with the name Nelly. But whoever is named in the song, they are a big baseball fan. The tune continues, Had the fever and had it bad / Just to root for the hometown crew / Ev’ry sou Katie blew.
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One Saturday night, Katie’s boyfriend asks if she wants to go see a show. Her response: “No, I’ll tell you what you can do.” And in floods the memorable 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 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.”
As for Katie, 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 game was tied and all hope seemed lost, Katie did the only thing she could do and started up another round of:
“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.”
Watch as legendary sportscaster Harry Caray leads the crowd in song during the Cubs’ final home game of the 1997 season.
Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images
