Goodbye Mr. Ball Goodbye!: A Tribute Song to Hank Greenberg

On April 27, 2011, Mark Kurlansky and Kevin Baker joined Tenement Talks to discuss the life and times of Hank Greenberg, an Jewish-American professional baseball player from the 1930s and 1940s.  Greenberg is best known for his refusal to play baseball on Yom Kippur in 1934.  Audience member, David Bellel from the Lower East Side History Project, brought a special treat for the audience, a song written by Bill Coryn and Harold Smith about Greenberg's ability as a power hitter.  Listen to the song here and follow along with the lyrics!

Goodbye Mr. Ball Goodbye

Written by Bill Coryn & Harold Smith
Performed by Groucho Marx, Bing Crosby & Hank Greenberg

Courtesy of the Philco Radio Show

We’ve heard about those old time dangerous pirates

of Captain Kidd and Silver John the Long

but we prefer those modern dangerous Pirates

as our victims walk the plank we sing this song

Oh, goodbye, Mr Ball, goodbye

You are going to see an awful lot of sky

don’t hang around for Richard to open up that door

when Hankus Pankus hits you where you’ve never been hit before

Oh, goodbye, Mr Ball, goodbye

You had better kiss your relatives good bye

when Hank comes to the plate, Ball,

you’re gonna to be out late so

Oh, goodbye, Mr Ball, goodbye

Oh, goodbye, Mr Ball, goodbye

Say hello there to the sun up in the sky

a plate is mighty handy to eat the lean and fat

but not when Hank the Greenberg serves it up with his big bat

Oh, goodbye, Mr Ball, goodbye

Go fly ‘til the blue has met the dawn up in the sky

when Hank gets home run itch, Ball,

you’re going to drop a stitch
so goodbye Mr ball, goodbye

Oh nothing could be finer

than a partner like Ralph Kiner

in the outfield

and I am confirmin’ that I’ll work for Billy Herman

in the infield

Oh goodbye, Mr Ball, goodbye

you had better kiss your relatives goodbye

Wait a minute, when the count is 2-0 and I let that third one go,

what happens then?

You’re out

Oh Goodbye Mr Hank goodbye

And furthermore,

when I think I've got a hit and it winds up in Slaughter's mitt

How about that?

Too bad

Oh goodbye Mr. Hank Goodbye

Oh, Mr. Greenberg

Goodbye Mr. Hank Goodbye

Lyrics courtesy of hankgreenbergfilm.org