"Give My Regards to Davy" is Cornell University's primary

fight song A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

. The song's lyrics were written in 1905 by Charles E. Tourison 1905, W. L. Umstad 1906, and Bill Forbes 1906, a trio of roommates at

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...

, and set to the tune of

George M. Cohan George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878November 5, 1942) was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and theatrical producer. Cohan began his career as a child, performing with his parents and sister in a vaudev ...

's "

Give My Regards to Broadway "Give My Regards to Broadway" is a song written by George M. Cohan for his musical play ''Little Johnny Jones'' which debuted in 1904 in New York. Cohan, playing the title character, sings this song as his friend is about to sail to Americ ...

". The song refers to a fictional encounter between an anonymous student and David Fletcher "Davy" Hoy (for whom Hoy Field is named), the registrar and secretary for the committee on student conduct, and Thomas Frederick "Tee Fee" Crane, the Professor of Languages and the first Dean of the

College of Arts and Sciences A College of Arts and Sciences or School of Arts and Sciences is most commonly an individual institution or a unit within a university that focuses on instruction of the liberal arts and pure sciences, although they frequently include programs and ...

revolving around the student's expulsion on account of

binge drinking Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions ( see below) vary considerably. Binge drinking ...

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David Hoy was known for his ferocity as a strict disciplinarian. Professor Crane, on the other hand, was generally well liked among students. "Piker" is said to be a historical

slang Slang is vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in spoken conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-gro ...

term for a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

, but it actually means a poor student or slacker. Theodore Zinck's was a bar in downtown Ithaca that has since closed. Its legend still lives on in the weekly event for seniors " Zinck's Night", which is celebrated worldwide in October by Cornellians.

Lyrics

The original and best known lyrics: :''Give my regards to Davy,'' :''Remember me to Tee Fee Crane.'' :''Tell all the pikers on the Hill'' :''That I'll be back again.'' :''Tell them just how I busted'' :''Lapping up the high Highball glass, highball.'' :''We'll all have drinks at Theodore Zinck's'' :''When I get back next fall!''

Parodies

To reflect the changing diversions of students, in 1920, the

Cornell Daily Sun ''The Cornell Daily Sun'' is an independent daily newspaper published in Ithaca, New York by students at Cornell University and hired employees. ''The Sun'' features coverage of the university and its environs as well as stories from the Associa ...

published a new version of the song under pen name of "Lord Helpus." :''Give my regards to Gladys'' :''Remember me to Maud and Jane'' :''Tell all the tea-hounds on the Hill'' :''That I'll be back again'' :''Tell them just how I busted'' :''Listening to the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

band's call --'' :''Oh! we'll all write a berry in the old Wisterie'' :''When I get back next fall!'' Sometime in the 1950s, another unofficial version appeared, referring to President

Deane Malott Deane Waldo Malott (July 10, 1898 – September 11, 1996) was an American academic and academic administrator, administrator. Biography The son of a banker, Malott was born in Abilene, Kansas and went on to study at the University of Kansas. ...

's "Social Events Standards" that attempted to ban fraternity parties, to ban women from visiting men's off-campus apartments, and to maintain the strict curfews and sign-in/out times for women. This verse is only a modest form of outrage as compared to the protests that were staged (at one, students burned an effigy of Malott) and the mobs that formed (one marched to President Malott's house demanding his resignation and throwing eggs, rocks, and smoke bombs).Rossiter, Caleb. ''The Chimes of Freedom Flashing''. TCA Press, 1996 :''Give my regards to

Ezra Ezra (; he, עֶזְרָא, '; fl. 480–440 BCE), also called Ezra the Scribe (, ') and Ezra the Priest in the Book of Ezra, was a Jewish scribe (''sofer'') and priest (''kohen''). In Greco-Latin Ezra is called Esdras ( grc-gre, Ἔσδρας ...

:''Remember me to Andy White.'' :''Tell all the virgins on the Hill'' :''That I'll be back some night.'' :''Tell them just how I licked it,'' :''Lappin' up the brew at Jim's.'' :''We'll all take shots at Deane Malott's'' :''When I get back again!''

References

External links

'Give My Regards to Davy' as performed by the Cornell Big Red Marching Band'Give My Regards to Davy' as Performed by Cornell University Glee Club
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Give My Regards To Davy Cornell University American college songs College fight songs in the United States Ivy League fight songs 1905 songs Songs written by George M. Cohan