"They Were All Out of Step But Jim" is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

war song A war song is a musical composition that relates to war, or a society's attitudes towards war. They may be pro-war, anti-war, or simply a description of everyday life during war times. It is possible to classify these songs by historical conflic ...

. It rose to popularity in 1918 when released by Billy Murray, charting at #3 in the United States.

Description

The song depicts a mother and father of a soldier gloating to their friends after seeing their son

marching Marching refers to the organized, uniformed, steady walking forward in either rhythmic or route-step time; and, typically, it refers to overland movements on foot of military troops and units under field orders. Marching is often performed t ...

. They declare their joy in the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, oblivious to the humor of the song's title:

Did you see my little Jimmy marching with the soldiers up the avenue?
There was Jimmy just as stiff as starch like his Daddy on the seventeenth of March.
Did you notice all the lovely ladies casting their eyes on him?
Away he went to live in a tent over in France with his regiment
Were you there, and tell me, did you notice?
They were all out of step but Jim.

The chorus is delivered from the perspective of the soldier's parents rather than that of a more typical war song narrator like the soldier himself, making it stand out from other songs and aiding its popularity. The song's use of humor instead of sentimentality also made it distinctive to audiences. The lyrics are in line with the musical trend of

ethnic humor An ethnic joke is a remark aiming at humor relating to an ethnic, racial or cultural group, often referring to an ethnic stereotype of the group in question for its punchline. Perceptions of ethnic jokes are ambivalent. Christie Davies gives ex ...

in early World War I war songs, as Jimmy's unaware mother is made distinctly Irish by her mention to

St Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick ( ga, Lá Fhéile Pádraig, lit=the Day of the Festival of Patrick), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patr ...

and the stereotype of heavy drinking during celebration. The cover art shows three women watching soldiers march by, with one soldier waving to one of the women. The lyrics and cover art are in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

Sheet music and recordings

The song was composed and written by

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-American composer, songwriter and lyricist. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Born in Imperial Russi ...

. It was published by Waterson, Berlin & Snyder Co in New York City in 1918. Various printings of the score featured the following singers: Miss

Queenie Williams Queenie Williams (November 17, 1896 – June 9, 1962), also billed as Little Queenie Williams and later as Ina Williams, was an Australian child actress, singer, comedian, and dancer. Early life Alfreda Ina Williams was born in Footscray, ne ...

, The Dream Girls, and Mabelle Sherman & Arthur Littry.Paas, John Roger (2014). America Sings of War: American Sheet Music from World War I. Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 220, . It was also recorded by Connie Farber.

Description

Sheet music and recordings

References

Further reading