Sung to the tune of the Whiffenpoof Song
To the tables down at Rogers’
To the place where Lizzie dwells
To the dear old Second Street we love so well
Sing the Mutton Eaters assembled with their glasses raised on high
And the magic of their singing casts its spell
Yes, the magic of their singing of the songs we love so well
“Can’t chop your Poppa Up” ,”Took an Axe” and all the rest
We will serenade our Lenny while life and voice shall last
Then we’ll pass and be forgotten with the rest
We’re poor little lambs who have lost our way
Baa, baa, baa
We’re little black sheep who have gone astray
Baa, baa, baa
Mutton Eaters, songsters, – off on a spree
Doomed from here to eternity
God have mercy on such as we
Baa, baa, baa
The Whiffenpoof Song”is based on a tune written by Tod Galloway (Amherst 1895) and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode (Yale 1910).
The word “whiffenpoof” originated in the 1908 opera Little Nemo by Victor Herbert, based on the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland by Winsor McCay.
The Whiffenpoofs have performed for generations at a number of venues, including Lincoln Center, the White House, the Salt Lake Tabernacle, Oakland Coliseum, Carnegie Hall and the Rose Bowl. The group has also appeared on television shows such as Jeopardy!, The Today Show, Saturday Night Live, 60 Minutes, Gilmore Girls and The West Wing.
Throughout the school year, the Whiffenpoofs traditionally perform Monday nights at Mory’s, known more formally as “Mory’s Temple Bar,” circulating from room to room singing.
The Whiffs’ best-known alumnus may be Cole Porter, who sang in the 1913 lineup of the Whiffenpoofs when he was a student at Yale. Today the group often performs Porter songs in tribute.
The Whiffenpoofs donate part of their proceeds each year to the Whiffenpoof Children’s Literacy Initiative, which aims to create 15 literacy centers in 12 countries, including the U.S. They travel extensively during the school year and take a three-month world tour during the summer. At one time most members were full-time students, but today many members take all or part of the year off and are effectively full-time professional Whiffenpoofs. (Wikipedia)
