The Owney Song

I’M A POST OFFICE CLERK
HERE IN ALBANY, NEW YORK
DEVOTED TO MY WORK
BUSY AS A STORK
MAKING SURE THE MAIL
GETS TO EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD
NOW HERE’S WHERE THE STORY GET’S GOOD

ON THE POST OFFICE FLOOR
UNDERNEATH A STACK OF MAIL
I THOUGHT I HEARD A “WOOF”
BUT THEN I SAW HIS TAIL
WHEN UP FROM THE PILE
POPPED THE CUTEST PUPPY SMILE
THAT’S WHEN I FELL IN LOVE WITH OWNEY

WHEN YOU GO TRAVELING WITH OWNEY
YOU’RE NEVER IN A LONELY WORLD
WHEREVER OWNEY GOES
A CHAIN OF FRIENDSHIP GROWS
HE JINGLES WHEN HE WALKS
THAT’S HIS STAMP OF APPROVAL

YOU COULD NEVER FIND A BETTER CRONY
TO JOIN YOU ON YOUR DAILY RIDE
IF THE WEATHER TURNS BAD
THERE’S NO NEED GETTING SAD
AS LONG AS OWNEY’S BY YOUR SIDE

WE STACK ALL THE MAIL BAGS
ON THE HORSE AND CART
HEAD TO THE STATION
WHERE THE TRAINS DEPART
THE MAIL CAR IS LOADED UP
AND WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
OWNEY HOPS ABOARD
AND AWAY HE GOES
AND SO THE LEGEND GROWS
ALL ABOARD!!!! (Locomotive whistle blow)

EVERYWHERE HE GOES IN THIS GREAT BIG NATION
OWNEY GETS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION (2X)

(8 bar musical break)

(spoken)
Man 1: Go, little Owney!!
Man 2: Hey Owney, got any mail for me?
Boy: Go Owney! Go!

(Spoken/Megaphone)
OWNEY HAS BEEN HONORED
FROM SEATTLE TO QUEBEC
WITH TOKENS OF AFFECTION
PROUDLY PLACED ROUND HIS NECK
I’VE NEVER SEEN A DOG
COMMAND SO MUCH RESPECT
LET’S HEAR IT FOR OUR POST OFFICE POOCH

EVERYBODY’S TALKIN’ ‘BOUT OWNEY
THE PRIDE OF THE US MAIL
BAGS ARE TOSSED ABOUT
TRAINS GO IN AND OUT
BUT OWNEY KNOWS EXACTLY
THE ROUTE TO BE TAKEN

YANKEE DOODLE RIDING ON HIS PONY
WOULD BUCKLE UNDER SUCH A STRAIN
BUT WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
EVERYBODY KNOWS
OWNEY’S RIDING ON THAT TRAIN
WHEN THE WHISTLE BLOWS
EVERYBODY KNOWS
OWNEY’S RIDING ON THAT TRAIN

BOSTON BROOKLYN WICHITA
DENVER DAYTON OMAHA
AHSLAND OAKLAND SAN JOSE
NASHVILLE KNOXVILLE OYSTER BAY
FLAGSTAFF EVANSVILE MUNCIE QUEENS
ALBUQUERQUE LANCASTER NEW ORLEANS
LOUISVILLE JACKSON HOLE SYRACUSE
PASADENA LITTLE ROCK BATTON ROUGUE

EVERYWHERE HE GOES IN THIS GREAT BIG NATION
OWNEY GETS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION
(repeated three times)