Yale: The Mory’s theme? (Not Whiffenpoofs – I think)?

Cafe Society
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OK, back in the early 1990s a good friend attended Yale. I hung out with him over a Thanksgiving break. We went to a party. At said party were members of a one of Yale’s singing groups. Since nobody did the Whiff song, I don’t think it was them.

Anyway, at one point they did this great tune. I think it was one song, though it seemed to have two distinct parts:

Oh, I am F-R-Double-E
From the bonds of S-I-N
(etc. etc. I searched on this, and got something vaguely like it, a lyric by The Supertones)

then they started celebrating eachother with (fill in each person’s name)

Oh, It’s [Bob], It’s [Bob]
It’s [Bob] that makes the world go round
Etc.

I think my friend said, “That’s The Mory’s Song”

What is this? Is it one song? Is it two? Are these songs that EVERYONE at Yale knows?

(Sorry this is vague and confusing, but it was over a decade ago. Odd how those little

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Neither of those lyrics appears in Songs of Yale, G. Schirmer Inc., 1953.

I’ve never heard those lyrics, either…although, to be honest, I spent four years heading in the other direction, fast, whenever I saw one of those singing groups approaching.

I don’t think there’s any such thing as the “Mory’s Song.” Your friend may have been thinking of the well-known “Whiffenpoof Song” (verse by Meade Minnegerode and George S. Pomeroy, class of 1910), which goes

To the tables down at Mory’s,
To the place where Louis dwells,
To the dear old Temple Bar we love so well;
Sing the Whiffenpoofs assembled with their glasses raised on high,
And the magic of their singing casts its spell…

3

I have heard this as part of a Salvation Army parody routine from the 60s by Judy Henske. Dr. Demento has played the whole routine (in the playlists as “Salvation Army Song”) once in 1986, and I have a copy.

The part like your quote goes like this (all from memory):

She also “testifies” about her sordid former life. :slight_smile:

4

Disclaimer: This is not really a helpful post, but maybe it will trigger someone else’s memory on this song …

If we are thinking of the same song, I remember singing this, or something like it, at summer camp. The chorus is “it’s love that makes the world go round” and the verses are endless.

Actual verses include things like:

Oh, it’s mice, it’s mice
It’s mice that make the cats go round

Oh, it’s cats, it’s cats,
It’s cats that make the dogs go round

The gist being that it’s mice that make cats crazy, cats make dogs crazy, etc. The fun is when you start putting people’s names in the song, to imply that there is a romantic interest, crush, etc. going on. Also funny when the linking of names is a jab at two people who don’t get along. The second name mentioned in the verse then gets uses as the first name in the next verse.

5

rowrrbazzle and delphica, you are both right on the money. That’s these songs. I guess they were just doing bits of famous “camp” songs and such. Never having gone to camp, I enjoyed these immensely.

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The song is called “The Mory’s Song.” It is sung as part of a drinking ritual at Mory’s, a private club on the Yale Campus. Mory’s serves various punches in large silver trophy cups, which are passed around the table. When the cup is passed to you, you are expected to drink continuously while the table sings the song. When the song is finished, you pass the cup to the next reveler and the process repeats itself.

The words to the song are as follows. Substitute (name) with the name of the person drinking from the cup.

It’s (name),
It’s (name),
It’s (name) that makes the world go ‘round.

It’s (name),
It’s (name),
It’s (name) that makes the world go ‘round.

It’s (na-a-a-ame),
It’s (name) that makes the world go ‘round.
It’s (name) that makes the world go ‘round.

Sing hallelujah,
Sing hallelujah,
Put a nickel on the drum,
Save another drunken bum.

Sing hallelujah,
Sing hallelujah,
Put a nickel on the drum,
And you’ll be saved.

Oh, I’m H-A-P-P-Y to be F-R-double-E
F-R-double-E to be S-A-V-E-D
S-A-V-E-D from the bonds of S-I-N
Glory glory Hallelujah hip hooray amen.

Sing Hallelujah! Sing Hallelujah!
Put a nickel on the drum,
Save another drunken bum
Sing Hallelujah! Sing Hallelujah!
Put a nickel on the drum and you’ll be saved.

I was lying in the gutter,
I was covered up in beer,
Pretzels in my moustache,
I thought the end was near,
Then along came [Name]!
And saved me from my curse,
Glory glory Hallelujah sing another verse!

Sing Hallelujah! Sing Hallelujah!
Put a nickel on the drum,
Save another drunken bum
Sing Hallelujah! Sing Hallelujah!
Put a nickel on the drum and you’ll be sa-aa-aved.