Uke-Song for the Baseball Season: "TAKE OUR HATS OFF TO BORGE"

PARODY-LYRICS 

ORIGINAL SONG: "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" 1908, Norworth and von Tilzer, as performed by Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, spoofed by Victor Borge.

PARODY COMPOSED: Dr.G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, September 2013. 

EXPLANATORY NOTES:
The second verse invokes the sort of patron with whom you sometimes have to share the cheap-seats-section of your local ballpark. This variation on the baseball-park anthem is modified in following verses by the 'traditional' earlier start of lyrics versus music (“Borge-positive version”); the less well-known opposite distortion (“Borge-negative version”) is also shown. 

If you just want to look at the lyrics without the chord indications, you can review those in a near-simultaneous post on our blog "Edifying Nonsense" HERE.  

TAKE OUR HATS OFF TO BORGE

(to the tune of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame")

Performing Notes

F#7 = 3424; Cm =0333. The rest of the chords are pretty easy. What is tough is getting the cadence right for the lyric-tune-separation versions. You'll probably need to practice those a few times, if you want to perform this as a gig at your local ballpark, bar, or elsewhere!

 

[Bb] Victor's "Clown Prince of [F] Denmark” -

[Bb] Unique musical [F7] gags;

[G7] He detached lyrics and [Cm] melody - 

[C7] Spiffier spoof than an [F7] old parody.

For if [Bb] you can handle the [F7] offset

The [Bb] cadence will hit the [Eb] mark,

Seventh [Cm]In -[F#7]  ning  [Bb] home-run you’ll score

At the [C7] old [F7] ball[Bb]park.

[Bb] Tickets cheap for the [F] ballgame,

[Bb] Seats right up in the [F7] clouds;

[G7] We won’t buy overpriced [Cm] drinks and snacks -

[C7] Friends snuck in with a [F7] couple six-packs.

Let me [Bb] hoot and jeer at the [F7] home-team;

My [Bb] date’s dis[Bb7]mayed that she [Eb] came,

For it’s [Cm7] one, [F#7] two, [Bb] three beers you’re out

At the [C7] old [F7] ball[Bb]game.

(BORGE +ve Version): Lyrics advanced before music

………..   (Tickets)

[Bb] Cheap for the ballgame [F] seats right,

[Bb] Up in the clouds we [F7] won’t

[G7] Buy overpriced drinks and [Cm] snacks  - friends snuck

[C7] In with a couple six-[F7]-packs. Let me

Hoot and [Bb] jeer at the home-team;  [F7] my date’s

Dis[Bb]mayed that she [Bb7] came, for [Eb] it’s

One, two, [Cm7] three [F#7] beers [Bb] you’re out at the

Old ball[C7]game.   xxx-xxx.

(BORGE –ve Version): Lyrics delayed

[Bb] xxx-xxx. Tickets cheap [F] for the

[Bb] Ballgame, seats right up [F7] in
[G7] The clouds, we won’t buy drinks [Cm] overpriced

[C7] And snacks - Friends snuck in [F7] with a couple

 Six-[Bb]packs; let me hoot and jeer [F7] at the

 Home-[Bb]-team, my [Bb7] date’s dismayed [Eb] that

 She came, [Cm7] for  [F#7] it’s [Bb] one, two, three beers

 You’re out [C7] at [F7] the [Bb] old

……….. (ballgame).

Uke-Song about Changing Place-Names: "THUNDER BAY (not CONSTANTINOPLE)"

 PARODY LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "Istanbul (not Constantinople)" a jazz-band style concoction recorded by The Four Lads in 1953. 

PARODY COMPOSED: Dr.G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, May 2023. See some additional photos and the song-lyrics alone (without chord indication) on the blog "Edifying Nonsense."

Click HERE.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

In 1930, "Istanbul" was designated as the official name of the largest city in Türkiye (Turkey), known in earlier periods as Byzantion, Byzantium, Constantinople, and primarily as Istanbul since the fall of the Byzantine empire in 1453.

In 1949, Newfoundland joined Confederation as Canada's tenth and newest province; in 2001, the Canadian Constitution was amended to revise the province's name to "Newfoundland and Labrador" (the mainland area of Labrador included less than 5% of the province's population but the majority of its landmass). The island of Newfoundland (NEW-found-land) is known by its inhabitants as "the Rock". 

In 1953 (the 500th anniversary of the "fall of Constantinople"), the Four Lads, a Canadian singing quartet who had moved from Toronto to the United States, acquired their first gold record with the release of the jazz-band styled "Istanbul (not Constantinople)". Other hit recordings by this group include "Standing on the Corner" and "Moments to Remember". BTW, the original members of the Four Lads attended the St. Michael's Choir School in downtown Toronto, on a small street well known to the authors.  

In 1970, the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario (current population about 110,000), at the western end of Lake Superior was formed by the merger of the two smaller communities of Fort William and Port Arthur.  

THUNDER BAY (not CONSTANTINOPLE)

(Intro theme, mid-Eastern, on kazoo)

"The [Am]Lakehead" was Fort William and Port Arthur
Now it's Thunder Bay, not Willi-am and Arthur
It's a [E7]wondrous town with name that's far superior --
Like [Am]Turkish delight, [Dm]on a [E7]stormy [Am]night.

Every [Am]dame today, 'round Lakehead way,
Stays in Thunder Bay, not with William or with Arthur
You've a [E7]rainy date in Fort William or Port Arthur?
She'll be [Am]waiting in [E7]Thunder [Am]Bay.

Even [Am]old Newfoundland hooked up with Labrador.

[Bm7+5]Ask a Newfie, he might say,

"They [E7]thought, on the Rock, we'd like that more, eh?"

So, [Am]take me back: Fort William and Port Arthur
No, you can't go back in time, it's so much farther;
Been a [E7]long while past, since Willi-am and Arthur.

Why the [Am]name-change? Here's the crux:
[E7]  It's no one's business but Ca-[Am]nucks.

Thunder Bay. 

(kazoo)

Thunder Bay.

Uke-Song about an Updated National Hymn: "The MAPLE LEAF AD INFINITUM"

PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "The Maple Leaf Forever", by Alexander Muir, 1867

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, September 2013

PHOTOS: from GoogleImages, several derived from the wonderful blogsite TorontoThenandNow

HISTORICAL UNDERPINNINGS:

  The original song proposed Canada’s national symbol, and acted for decades as the unofficial anthem of (English) Canada; it was officially replaced in 1980 by “O Canada”. The old tree which had presumably inspired the original lyrics was destroyed by a storm in July 2013.
   As pointed out in the blog "City in the Trees", the version we sang long ago in school evoked a Canada that extended from Cape Race in the east to the Pacific. In fact, at the time Muir created the song, Newfoundland and British Columbia were separate colonies, and the new country had only 4 provinces.  
   Research into the song's historic underpinnings, as portrayed here, as well as personal experience, evolved into the nostalgic piece "Canadian School Reunion" - see my prior post highlighting this parody-song.

"Maple Cottage" Leslieville,
(now part of Toronto)
Muir's residence  

1867: A fragile line

FURTHER SONGS ON THE SAME THEME: For other nostalgic takes on Canada's national hymns, you can view (and sing along with) ...

post #6 (December 2013) Canadian Reunion  

post #65 (January 2015)  Flight of the Loonie

post #181 (June 2018)  Something to Groan About

THE MAPLE LEAF ad Infinitum

(to the tune of Alexander Muir's "Maple Leaf Forever")

In days less pure, the clan named Muir brought young Alex to these shores;

He breathed old T.O.’s Orangeman’s air, worked with skill his teaching chores.
He honored shamrock, thistle, rose, tall trees, and roots with Britain;

And second-prized our Founding Year a songsmith’s competition.

No copyright, no fleur-de-lys; of insight only traces -

His “Maple Leaf” excluded half our country’s founding races.

On days of pomp, when bands would romp from Lakes to FroBay and Sea to Sea,

The trick was to pick “God Save the Queen” from “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”.

The music-sheets for these two treats seemed equal when you scanned them;

We’d need decide in love and pride the True North’s national anthem.

Untwine the Line at Forty-Nine, les Ricains might endeavour;

Could we that fragile Line define with “Maple Leaf Forever”?

Robert Stanley Weir
 lyricist

Calixa Lavallee
 composer

St-Jean-Baptiste in Canada East resounded with Lavallée’s score;
R.Weir took on the daunting task - Theme O-Canada's breadth restore.
The over-zealed paroles part-spared, the English not so prominent,

Still women and newcomers griped, “It’s sexist and male-dominant.”

As reg'ments touted "Leaf" their tune, did Anglo journals shout and rant, 
But decades past, "O Canada" did Muir's time-worn chant supplant.
In time for our Centennial, new flag and hymn to savour, 
Still stuck with macho lyrics and a pinch of maple flavour ! 

Last year, Muir's ancient fabled tree was felled by stormy weather;
Still sometimes heard but seldom hymned - "The Maple Leaf Forever".

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