Lyr Req: Pat McCarty

Subject: Lyr. Req: Pat McCarty
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 09 May 04 - 02:13 PM

There was a song my mother used to sing called "Pat McCarty". It was about an Irish farmer from Oregon who made a visit to NYC and was completely taken aback by the high prices of everything. There was a chorus in which he says "I wanna go back to Oregon". Being that my mother remembered when the Titanic went down, I estimate that this song must have been around in the 1920s. The first line of the song was "Pat McCarty hale & hearty living in Oregon". Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks   SOL ZELLER

Subject: Lyr Add: ARRAH GO ON I'M GONNA GO BACK TO OREGON
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 May 04 - 09:56 PM

Sheet music may be found at The Lester S. Levy Collection of Sheet Music
and at The University of Colorado Digital Sheet Music Collection.

ARRAH GO ON I'M GONNA GO BACK TO OREGON
Words, Joe Young and Sam Lewis. Music, Bert Grant. 1916.
"Introduced Successfully by Maggie Cline"

Pat McCarty, hale and hearty, living in Oregon,
Heard a lot of talk about the great New York.
He left the farm, where all was calm, and landed on old Broadway.
He coaxed a little Mary Ann into a swell café.
The waiter brought the card and said, "What will you have?" to Pat.
Then Pat looked at the prices and he said, "I'll have me hat."

CHORUS: Arrah, go on! I'm gonna go back to Oregon.
Arrah, go on! I'm gonna go back and stay.
I could buy the horses many a bale of hay
For all that I'd have to pay
To feed a chicken on old Broadway.
Arrah, go on! There's somebody back in Oregon
Who calls me Uncle Pat, not Uncle John.
Arrah, go on! Go way! Go wid yer! Go way! Go wid yer! Go way! Go on!
Arrah, go on! I'm gonna go back to Oregon.

Pat McCarty broke the party up into smithereens;
Said, "Your bill of fare would give a bull a scare.
I want to eat, but I repeat, I don't want to buy the place."
And Mary Ann was sitting there with blushes on her face.
She said, "I'll have a little steak. That's all I want right now."
And Pat said, "What it costs for steaks, why, I could buy a cow!" CHORUS.

* * *
A site called Class Act says it was sung in the 1945 film "The Dolly Sisters."

Parlor Songs has a midi file. (Click to play.)

George Gershwin made a piano roll of the tune. You can hear a sound sample at Barnes & Noble.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pat McCarty
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 11 May 04 - 02:11 PM

Thank you very much Jim. I have been looking for these lyrics for over 40 years. SOL ZELLER

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pat McCarty
From: GUEST,Niki Niksa
Date: 29 Oct 20 - 02:23 PM

My grand parents used to sing this song years ago but I could never find the lyrics. I wanted to play it for my dying dog.... Don’t know why.
Thanks for this

Long line of North Atlantic fishermen

Niki Niksa (Lash)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pat McCarty
From: GUEST
Date: 05 May 21 - 08:45 PM

my grand mother sang this but with many more verses including what Mary Ann ordered like a tub of slaw a dozen raw and chicken and a roast....