Well Jean, It seems I owe an apology to Irving Berlin because I commented that rhymning starch with March wasn't exactly great poetry. I assure you the lyrics weren't sung to us, but it has Jimmy as stiff as starch da da da and on the 17th of March. That has to be the source of the little ditty that sent us off to our St. Patrick's Day parade. I appreciate your finding this song by Iriving Berlin which I think I have never heard sung. But if I ever do hear it I will remember where I first read the lyrics. Take care and thanks, Mary Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:17:03 -0800 From: "Jean R." Subject: Re: [IRISH-AMER] Children's poem regarding a St.Patrick's Day Parade To: Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original THEY WERE ALL OUT OF STEP BUT JIM Lyrics, Irving Berlin Jimmy's mother went to see her son Marching along on parade In his uniform and with his gun What a lovely picture he made She came home that ev'ning Filled up with delight And to all the neighbors She would yell with all her might [Refrain:] 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 [2nd verse:] That night little Jimmy's father stood Buying the drinks for the crowd You could tell that he was feeling good He was talking terribly loud Twenty times he treated My! but he was dry When his glass was empty He would treat again and cry [Alternate Lines In 2nd refrain:] It made me glad To gaze at the lad Lord help the Kaiser if he's like his Dad Mary -- Is this the one? If not, I have a couple more ideas. Jean xx ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Quirk-Thompson" Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 11:09 AM Subject: [IRISH-AMER] Children's poem regarding a St.Patrick's Day Parade I realize that after reading great poetry at this site this is a terrible question, but. As my mother and I were leaving for the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in the 1980's my father rattled off a rhyme. It had to do with a St Patrick's Day parade with "Jimmy standing stiff as starch" da da da "on the 17th of March". It was longer than just those two lines.I think it was even longer than four lines.We were heading out the door and it took a bit to realize what was being said. My mother and I asked him to repeat it as we had never heard it before. Unhappily he could not. It had just popped into his mind and popped out just as fast. I would love to know the lines of that ditty. My father was born in 1901 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. His grandparents, were O'Connell, from around Emly Tipperary, Quirk from Cashel Tipperary, O'Neill from Cork and Monaghan no idea what county. The families were all in the US by 1850, so it is probably a US ditty rather than Irish. He was stationed in Lurgen, Co Armagh during WWII. But it sounded like something one would learn as a child rather than as a soldier in his forties who had a law degree. It is no great poetry: starch, March. But I am interested because of the sentiment attached to the moment I first heard it. So if anyone is familiar with the ditty please comment. Thanks, Mary Quirk-Thompson --------------------------------- Have a burning question? Go to Yahoo! Answers and get answers from real people who know.