"In the Good Old Summertime"

No personal notes.

"In the Good Old Summer Time" is an American Tin Pan Alley song first published in 1902 with music by George Evans and lyrics by Ren Shields.

Shields and Evans were at first unsuccessfully trying to sell the song to one of New York's big sheet music publishers. The publishers thought the topic of the song doomed it to be forgotten at the end of the summer season. Blanche Ring, who had helped Evans arrange the number's piano score, was enthusiastic about it and at her urging it was added to the 1902 musical comedy show "The Defender" she was appearing in. The song was a hit from the opening night, with the audience often joining in singing the chorus.

"In the Good Old Summer Time" was one of the big hits of the era, selling popular sheet music and being recorded by various artists of the day, including John Philip Sousa's band in 1903. It has remained a standard often revived in the decades since.

Lyrics

    There's a time each year
    That we always hold dear,
    Good old summer time;
    With the birds and the trees'es
    And sweet scented breezes,
    Good old summer time,
    When you day's work is over
    Then you are in clover,
    And life is one beautiful rhyme,
    No trouble annoying,
    Each one is enjoying,
    The good old summer time.

    In the good old summer time,
    In the good old summer time,
    Strolling thru' a shady lane
    With your baby mine.
    You hold her hand and she holds yours,
    And that's a very good sign
    That she's your tootsie wootsie
    In the good, old summer time.

    To swim in the pool,
    You's play "hooky" from school
    Good old summer time;
    You play "ring-a rosie"
    With Jim, Kate and Josie,
    Good old summer time,
    Those days full of pleasure
    We now fondly treasure,
    When we never thought it a crime
    To stealing cherries,
    With faces brown as berries,
    Good old summer time.

    In the good old summer time,
    In the good old summer time,
    Strolling thru' a shady lane
    With your baby mine.
    You hold her hand and she holds yours,
    And that's a very good sign
    That she's your tootsie wootsie
    In the good, old summer time.

The original publication includes extensive additional lyrics by Ren Shields that are seldom performed.