BINGO
Here's to O. S. U.,
Drink it down, drink it down;
Here's to O. S. U.,
Drink it down, drink it down;
Here's to O. S. U.,
She's so hearty and so true,
Drink it Down, drink it down, drink it down, down, down.
Balm of Gilead, Gilead,
Balm of Gilead, Gilead,
Balm of Gilead, 'Way down on the Bingo farm;
We won't go there anymore,
We won't go there anymore,
We won't go there anymore,
'Way down on the Bingo Farm.
Bingo, Bingo, Bingo, Bingo, Bingo, Bingo.
'Way down on the Bingo Farm.
Here's to O. S. U.,
Drink it down, drink it down;
Here's to O. S. U.,
Drink it down, drink it down;
Here's to O. S. U.,
She's so hearty and so true,
Drink it Down, drink it down, drink it down, down, down.
(spoken) BINGO
This was a drinking song that was popular at least through 1916, at Ohio State. While there is not much information about the song, one would suspect that people had very much fun singing and drinking to this little ditty. One has to suspect that Prohibition put an end to this song, as there is no evidence that this song was revived after Prohibition ended.
The lyrics were changed to this song sometime between the 1890s and 1916. The words above are from (1904). The 1916 lyrics change "O. S. U." to "old State", and the line "She's so hearty and so true," to "She's so noble, true and great,".
The University of Chicago, Yale University, Brown University and Rennselear Polytechnic Institute each had/have a variant of BINGO. It is possible that this song came west from Brown, then to RPI, to Ohio State and then on to Chicago. It is possible that BINGO made it across the country to other schools, as well. Also, the Brown University version, has an introductory verse, while RPI has added a small verse at the end. This song is a perfect example of a song that was changed, so it could be adapted for use at Ohio State or another college, a common practice of the time.
Photo: 1916 Lazenby Hall, Courtesy of The Ohio State University Archives
Please e-mail any comments, problems or suggestions to njmetrowsky@gmail.com
Webmaster: Nick Metrowsky
The Ohio State University, BA, History, 1979
Life Member The Ohio State University Alumni Association
Life Member of The Ohio State University President's Club
Annual Member of The Ohio State University Varsity "O" Association
Last Updated: 23 September, 2021
