Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)

Subject: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: and e
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 08:11 PM

ON THE STEPS OF I.U.
(Tune: Our Director March)

On the steps of IU, crying like hell!
Lies a newborn baby,
How that goddamned son of a bitch could yell!
Who could be its father?
Surely not you!
No! It's just another bastard son of old IU.

Learned at Indiana University in Theta Chi fraternity. ca 1956. A recording of John Frushour signing the song is online here:

https://youtu.be/xWHtg0m1EAM


More variants to follow

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: and e
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 08:29 PM

23. On The Steps

Judging by the large number of texts collected at Michigan State
University between 1947 and 1956, this song seems to have been enormously
popular on that campus. Thirty-six -variants were submitted to the
archives there, several being dated as early as 1944. Prior to this field
collection eight texts had been previously recorded at Indiana University.
One text from Ohio Wesleyan University (#5 A) has also turned up. The place
name of the institution mentioned in the opening line varies considerably,
often being cited as MSU, IU, "Med School," or various dorms; or running
over a long list of fraternities and sororities such as Phi Psi, DU (most
common at Michigan State), Phi Delt, "Sammy," Theta, and Chi Omega.

An anonymous text collected at Indiana University in 1957 adds an
extra two line variation:

...Who could be it’s father, maybe it's you,
Just another bastard son of Sigma Alpha Mu.
And who could be its mother, maybe it's you.
Just another girl gone down for Sigma Alpha Mu.

Another variant, collected by Eleanor Stafford at Michigan State in 1947,
changes the ending to: "Just another Phi Delt blamed on old Psi U,"
Gershon Legman thinks this song is most popular among college
girls. [Personal conversations, November, 1963.] His contention is
supported by the texts turned in from Michigan State students,
more than two being submitted by girls for each one from boys,
though it is not meant to be suggested thereby that it is noticeably
uncommon in the repertoire of the college male.

The melody commonly used is given below:

Page 147 of Richard Reuss An Annotated Field Collection of Songs from the American College Student Oral Tradition

Music is on the pg 158. See the link to confirm the tune.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 08:30 PM

Well ... Interesting.

Thank You.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

Profound inspiration for when the voice is young.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 08:36 PM

WOW ! ! !

This IS A true archive.

THANK YOU.
(an evening's amusement will follow.)

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

I repent, and revoke, and reput, my previous sarcasm.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: and e
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 08:44 PM

23A. Collected at Ohio Wesleyan University from Bob Keller and a
friend, members of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, in the spring of 1961.

On the steps of Phi Psi,
Crying like hell,
Lies a newborn baby.
My how that son of a bitch can yell.
Oh who could be its father.
Maybe it’s you or I.
It's just another bastard son
Of old Phi Psi

Text 23A from Richard Reuss' An Annotated Field Collection of Songs from the American College Student Oral Tradition

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: and e
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 09:02 PM

23B. Sung by Forest Redding, Clay McMullen, and Ray Brandell, members
of Kappa Delta Rho fraternity at Indiana University, on December 6, 1963.

On the steps of IU,
Crying like hell,
Lies a newborn baby;
Listen to that son of a bitch'n bastard yell,
Who could be its father?
Maybe it it's you.
Just another bastard son
Of old IU.

Text 23B from Richard Reuss' An Annotated Field Collection of Songs from the American College Student Oral Tradition

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: and e
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 09:08 PM

23C. Jean Fox and Carol Adams of the Chi Omega sorority at Indiana
University provided this variant on March 14, 1964.

On the steps of Chi Omega,
Crying like hell.
Lies a newborn baby.
Listen to that bastard yell.
Who can be its father,
Maybe it's you.
Just another bastard son
Of Sigma Alpha Mu.

Final text, 23C, from Richard Reuss' An Annotated Field Collection of Songs from the American College Student Oral Tradition

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: and e
Date: 29 Apr 23 - 09:47 PM

...we’d end with our trademark song, On the Steps of D-2. I remember the words to this day.

On the steps of D-2,
crying like hell,
lies a new-born baby,
listen to that son-of-a-bitching bastard yell.
Who could be its father?
Maybe it’s you!
It’s just another bastard son of old D-2!

We, the Class of 1960, Plebes though we were,
had officially joined the ranks of old D-2.
And that’s how it was a half century ago.

From THE UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY, West Point, NY. A history of Company D-2, Class of 1960 at West Point Military Academy.
Class of 1960 - Company D-2

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: On The Steps of I.U (Bawdy College Song)
From: and e
Date: 30 Apr 23 - 07:43 AM

Well here's a song we used to sing in high school.

On the steps of Central High School.
Crying like hell
Lays a new born baby
Listen to the, listen to the son-of-a-bitch yell
You could be the father?
None of us can tell
Just another accident at CHS

From the movie, Thieves Like Us (1974). The tune is "Our Director March".


See a video of song here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSQzNQBsK1U