There Goes Old Georgetown
Encyclopedia
"There Goes Old Georgetown" (Listen) is the unofficial name of the Georgetown University
sports teams'
fight song
. It is also known as simply "Georgetown Fight Song". It is actually an amalgamation of three songs, only the oldest of which, 1913's "The Touchdown Song", contains the lyric "here goes old Georgetown". Onto a version of this was added "Cheer for Victory", written in 1915, and "The Hoya Song", written in 1930, both of which are included in their entirety. The authors of these songs, and of the combined version, are unknown. Although some effort has been taken to change the song, no serious proposal has come forth.
, Harvard University
, Princeton University
, College of the Holy Cross
, the United States Naval Academy
, and Cornell University
, and mocks their fight songs. In the late 20th and early 21st century, the Hoyas only played Cornell and Holy Cross regularly in football, and many of these schools no longer used the fight songs that Georgetown's song mocks. The song lacks references to modern Big East Conference
rivals, such as Syracuse
or Villanova
.
During men's and woman's basketball games, the line "Straight for a touchdown
" is typically changed to "Straight for a rebound
," which allows the rhyme to continue. In some editions, both the football and basketball versions are sung back to back, while others repeat the first two verses. The final verse is usually followed by a call and response
of the school cheer, "Hoya Saxa
." Anyone can start the Georgetown fight song by asking a large group of Hoyas, "How long's it been?" The group will reply with the fight song. Or, if a properly motivated Hoya crowd, starting and holding the long low base note of "It's…" will also work.
use the song regularly in their performances. In 2006, Georgetown students produced a film, Georgetown Forever, which brings to life different elements of the fight song. The fight song has also been parodied by campus groups such as the Georgetown Solidarity Committee
. The lyrics of the song are notoriously difficult to learn, and accurate performance of the fight song is required for membership in certain spirit groups, such as Hoya Blue and the Jack Crew
.
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
sports teams'
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
fight song
Fight song
A fight song is primarily an American and Canadian sports term, referring to a song associated with a team. In both professional and amateur sports, fight songs are a popular way for fans to cheer for their team...
. It is also known as simply "Georgetown Fight Song". It is actually an amalgamation of three songs, only the oldest of which, 1913's "The Touchdown Song", contains the lyric "here goes old Georgetown". Onto a version of this was added "Cheer for Victory", written in 1915, and "The Hoya Song", written in 1930, both of which are included in their entirety. The authors of these songs, and of the combined version, are unknown. Although some effort has been taken to change the song, no serious proposal has come forth.
Music
Georgetown's fight song is rare among U.S. university fight songs for mentioning other colleges by name, generally rivals of Georgetown in the early-to-mid 20th century. Specifically, it mentions Yale UniversityYale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, College of the Holy Cross
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is an undergraduate Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Worcester, Massachusetts, USA...
, the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
, and Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and mocks their fight songs. In the late 20th and early 21st century, the Hoyas only played Cornell and Holy Cross regularly in football, and many of these schools no longer used the fight songs that Georgetown's song mocks. The song lacks references to modern Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
rivals, such as Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
or Villanova
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
.
During men's and woman's basketball games, the line "Straight for a touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
" is typically changed to "Straight for a rebound
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
," which allows the rhyme to continue. In some editions, both the football and basketball versions are sung back to back, while others repeat the first two verses. The final verse is usually followed by a call and response
Call and response
Call and response is a form of "spontaneous verbal and non-verbal interaction between speaker and listener in which all of the statements are punctuated by expressions from the listener."...
of the school cheer, "Hoya Saxa
Hoya Saxa
Hoya Saxa is the official cheer and "college yell" of Georgetown University and its athletics teams. Hoya is an Ancient Greek word usually transliterated from as hoia from the word hoios meaning "such" or "what" as in "what manner of", and is used in certain Biblical quotations. however, is...
." Anyone can start the Georgetown fight song by asking a large group of Hoyas, "How long's it been?" The group will reply with the fight song. Or, if a properly motivated Hoya crowd, starting and holding the long low base note of "It's…" will also work.
Usage
The song is typically performed at athletics events by the Georgetown University Pep Band, but is also used at other large university occasions. Campus music groups, such as The Georgetown ChimesThe Georgetown Chimes
Founded in 1946, The Georgetown Chimes are Georgetown University's oldest a cappella singing group. They are all male.- History :The Georgetown Chimes are an accident of Yale's and GU's athletic policies from the time of World War II. Yale senior and back-up quarterback Francis E...
use the song regularly in their performances. In 2006, Georgetown students produced a film, Georgetown Forever, which brings to life different elements of the fight song. The fight song has also been parodied by campus groups such as the Georgetown Solidarity Committee
Georgetown Solidarity Committee
Georgetown Solidarity Committee is a student organization at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, that takes action to support the struggles of service workers on the Georgetown campus as well as workers around the world...
. The lyrics of the song are notoriously difficult to learn, and accurate performance of the fight song is required for membership in certain spirit groups, such as Hoya Blue and the Jack Crew
Jack the Bulldog
Jack the Bulldog is the official mascot of the Georgetown University Hoyas athletics teams. Jack has been the name of at least four live Bulldogs since 1962, when the name first came into use. The current incarnation of Jack is an English Bulldog born in 2003 whose full name is John S. Carroll....
.