Shame Game
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is an early-20th century Tin Pan Alley song which became the unofficial anthem of baseball -- though neither of its authors had ever been to a game. The song is traditionally sung during the seventh-inning stretch of a baseball game, in spite of the technicality that it is written from the perspective of someone not currently watching a game. Fans are encouraged to sing along.
History of the song
The words were written in 1908 by Jack Norworth, otherwise best-known for writing "Shine On, Harvest Moon" (co-written with Nora Bayes). While riding a subway train, he was inspired by a sign that said "Baseball Today — Polo Grounds". Applicazioni e giochi Java, elenco Applicazioni e giochi Java. After he wrote the lyrics, it was set to music by Albert Von Tilzer, although neither of them had ever seen a baseball game before. The song was first sung by Norworth's wife Nora Bayes, and then further popularized by various vaudeville acts. Norworth wrote an alternative version of the song in 1927.
Lyrics
Below are the two versions side by side for comparison:
1 The term "sou", now obscure, was at the time common slang for a low-denomination coin. Carly Simon's version, produced for Ken Burns' 1994 documentary on baseball, reads "Ev'ry cent / Katie spent". The Shame Game and other parenting resources at FamilyEducationcom.