Cal Songs
Stanford Jonah
Written in 1913 by Ted E. Haley; arranged by Robert O. Briggs.
© UC Regents. All Rights Reserved.
Sound Clip: MP3 (1451 KB)
When the training days are done,
And the Big Game's just begun,
And there's music in the air;
When our team runs on the field,
Stanford knows her fate is sealed,
For the Golden Bear has left his lair.
When the yells from lusty throats,
Start to getting Stanford's goat,
And the rooting section seems a howling mob, Hey! Hey!
Then you grab your hat and shout,
You let folks know you're about,
For you know that Stanford Jonah's on the job.
So...then... it's...
Up with the Blue and Gold,
Down with the Red;
California's out for a victory.
We'll drop our battle-axe on
Stanford's head, Chop!
When we meet her, our team will surely beat her.
Down on the Stanford Farm there'll be no sound,
When our Oski rips through the air.
Like our friend Mister Jonah,
Stanford's team will be found
In the tummy of the Golden Bear!
"The Stanford Jonah" was written in 1913 by Ted E. Haley for the annual song contest held by the Daily Californian, but that year the song lost to Williams' and McLaren's "Big C." "The Stanford Jonah" got its break in 1914, however, when the Glee Club traveled to Europe. The Glee Club learned the song en route, and performed it during their tour. As a result, "The Stanford Jonah" became popular and won the annual song competition that year. It has since become one of the more popular Cal Songs, and it is particularly popular during Big Game week.
The tune appears to be unoriginal. The author of this report is aware of versions of this song at Georgia Tech and the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Since Cal and Georgia Tech have had very few meetings, there is speculation that Georgia Tech may have acquired the tune after the 1929 Cal vs. Georgia Tech Rose Bowl.