Oh, they had a little party down in Newport;
There was Harry, there was Mary, there was Grace.
Oh, they had a little party down in Newport,
And they had to carry Harry from the place.
Oh, they had to carry Harry to the ferry,
And the ferry carried Harry to the shore;
And the reason that they had to carry Harry to the ferry
Was that Harry couldn't carry any more.
For California, for California,
The hills send back the cry,
We're out to do or die,
For California, for California,
We'll win the game or know the reason why.
And when the game is over, we will buy a keg of booze,
And drink to California 'till we wobble in our shoes.
So drink, tra la la,
Drink, tra la la,
Drink, drank, drunk last night,
Drunk the night before;
Gonna get drunk tonight
Like I never got drunk before;
For when I'm drunk, I'm as happy as can be
For I am member of the Souse family.
Now the Souse family is the best family
That ever came over from old Germany.
There's the Highland Dutch, and the Lowland Dutch,
The Rotterdam Dutch, and the Irish.
Sing glorious, victorious,
One keg of beer for the four of us.
Sing glory be to God that there are no more of us,
For one of us could drink it all alone. Damn near.
Here's to the Irish, dead drunk. The lucky stiffs....
The "California Drinking Song" is one of the most popular Cal songs among students and alumni - everyone knows the words to this song! One of Cal's most unusual songs, over the years, no less than five different songs have been melded together to form today's current rendition. The core element of "California Drinking Song" is "Rambled," otherwise known as "California." The tune is based on the song "Oh, Didn't He Ramble," by Cole and Johnson (copyright 1906). The words were changed to what we know as "For California, for California, The hills send back the cry, We're out to do or die...," and first appeared in printed form in 1906. The author of the text is unknown.
For a long time, the Band often played "Rambled" at football games, playing the chorus twice. When the "Drinking Song" element that follows was also played, it was known as "Rambled Into." In Rochelle Paul's master thesis, "Song Traditions of the University of California at Berkeley," she mentions that "in 1939, the University Band and the Glee Club went down to Los Angeles for the UCLA vs. California football game. When they returned, both groups had joined additional verses of a whole new song to the old 'California' song. [Since then] even more verses have accumulated." The verses Paul refers to follow the "Rambled" part of "California Drinking Song." Titled "One More Drink for the Four of Us," this part of "California Drinking Song" is a traditional song of conviviality, sung throughout the United States (for example, Ohio State University has its own version of this song).
The origins of other elements of "California Drinking Song" are more difficult to pinpoint. It is believed that the "Speaking Start" (The steward went below...,) is from a traditional Navy drinking song; the origins of the "Singing Start" (Oh, they had a little party down in Newport...,) are unclear. "California Drinking Song" ends on a dominant seventh chord, which leaves a sense of unresolution. Consequently, the song beckons for additional lyrics which band members and students have been more than willing to supply. Many different versions currently circulate through campus. This song is often sung (with accompaniment) by the Band.
I should add that the Cal Drinking Song is - unlike the fight song "Big C" which is used only by Berkeley and UCLA - used by all 9 (is it 10 now?) UC campuses, except perhaps UC Santa Cruz, where the perpetually stoned Banana Slugs disdain drinking.