What a Game Lyrics by Mark Jacoby

Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

1998

[FATHER, spoken]
You'll like baseball. It's a civilized pastime.

(sung)
In a world gone mad
There is comfort to be had
In the game Father played at school
Men of class
Competing on the grass
Where sportsmanship
And fellowship
And courtesy are the rule

[UMPIRE, spoken]
Play ball!

[GIANTS FANS]
Ain't this the kind o' weather

[BRAVES FANS]
For smackin' leather

[GIANTS FANS]
For playin' baseball

[FANS]
The kind o' weather makes a man
Hit like hell!
*Hock, spit*

[FAN #1]
Let's go, you sons o' bitches!

[FAN #2]
Let's see some pitches!

[FANS]
Let's play some baseball!

[FAN #3]
The Kraut is strikin' out again!

[FAN #4]
Schmidt, ya smell!

[FANS]
*Hock, spit*

[BRAVES FANS]
The Giants haven't got a prayer

[GIANTS FANS]
Aah, yer underwear!

[BRAVES FANS]
Up yer alley!

[FANS]
Go back to where yer mother once came!
Hit that ball!

[FAN #5]
Run, you bastard!

[FANS]
Hit that ball!

[FAN #6]
Kill the Kraut!

[FANS]
What a game!
*Hock, spit*

[FAN #2]
Hey, Schnabel! Take your head out of your ass!
I guess that's telling him, huh?

[LITTLE BOY]
Hey, Schnabel! Take your head out of your—

[FATHER clamps his hand over LITTLE BOY'S mouth.]

[FATHER]
At Harvard
We were gentlemen
Men were gentlemen

[FANS]
So's yer sister!

[FATHER]
We called each other "Mister", and—

[FANS #5 & #7]
Doyle, ya suck!

[FATHER]
Don't listen!
Our games were very quiet
We'd never riot, we'd—

[FANS #4, #8, & #9]
Eat that baseball!

[FATHER]
The worst we ever said would be—

[FANS #3 & #6]
Run, ya schmuck!

[FATHER]
Don't listen!
Now here's this noisy rabble
This foreign babble
Who let this happen?
There's hardly one American name!

[FAN #10]
Yah, Herzog!

[FANS]
Hit that ball!

[FAN #11]
Stupid Polack!

[FANS]
Hit that ball!

[FAN #8]
Kill the Kike!

[FANS]
What a game!
*Hock, spit*

It's Braves and Giants, two to two
The pitcher's name is Hub Perdue
Jack Murray's now
Up at bat...
*Ball crack*

[LITTLE BOY stands up. He knows what will happen next. FATHER realizes with a start the ball is coming right at them. LITTLE BOY holds up his hand and catches it.]

[FANS]
My God, would somebody look at that!

[FATHER, spoken]
My son!

[FANS]
Ain't this the kind of weather
To get together and

[FAN #6]
Bash his teeth in!

[FANS]
The kind o' weather makes a man
Hit like hell!
A fine, upliftin' atmosphere
Bring yer children here
Teach them baseball
The game all true Americans
Do damn well!
It's like the Constitution
The institution
Of dear ol' baseball
Where every man is treated the same!
Kill that Mick!

[FAN #1]
Run, you Polack!

[FANS]
Strike the Kike!

[FAN #2]
Kill the Kraut!

[FANS]
What a—
What a—
What a—

[LITTLE BOY, spoken]
Up yer alley!

[FATHER, spoken]
Edgar!

[FANS]
Game!
*Hock, spit*
Yeah!

Credits

Mark Jacoby

About “What a Game” by Mark Jacoby

Read the complete lyrics to "What a Game" by Mark Jacoby from the album "Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1998. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under History, Theatre, Broadway.

"What a Game" is performed by Mark Jacoby. from the album "Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1998 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "What a Game", explore more songs by Mark Jacoby using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"What a Game" is credited to Mark Jacoby. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"What a Game" appears on "Ragtime: The Musical (Original Broadway Cast Recording)" in 1998.

Visit the Mark Jacoby artist page at /artist/mark-jacoby for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.

What a Game Lyrics by Mark Jacoby

Credits

About “What a Game” by Mark Jacoby

Frequently asked questions

Who wrote "What a Game"?

What album is "What a Game" on?

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