The Bellyache Heard 'round the World

He showed up for Spring Training
With 40 pounds to lose
He’d spent the winter partying
But that was never news
He wasn’t feeling all that good
Throughout the training camp
The Babe would run a fever
And he often had the cramps
After leaving Florida
On the way back to New York
The Yankees played the Brooklyn Robins
On an exhibition tour
They stopped in Chattanooga
The Babe hit 2 home runs
The next game was in Knoxville
Where he hit another one
The train left the next morning
For Asheville, North Carolina
Going across the mountains
The tracks twisting and winding
The Babe joined in a card game
His cheeks and forehead burned
He really didn’t look so good
His teammates were concerned
At the Asheville station
When the train came to a stop
The Babe stepped onto the platform
Then suddenly he just dropped
They took him to the hotel
And put him into bed
A newspaper in London proclaimed
«The Mighty Babe is Dead!»
«The Mighty Babe is Dead!»
And before you even knew it
That’s what all the papers said
The team phoned a physician
Who could really only guess
It was his professional opinion
That the Babe just needed rest
He cautioned against travel
Anytime too soon
The Babe departed Asheville
On the following afternoon
Thousands filled Penn Station
To try to catch a glimpse
As they carried him by stretcher
To the waiting ambulance
«Helen, I feel rotten,»
The Babe said to his wife
Before they took him to the hospital
And he went under the knife
«The Mighty Babe is Dead!»
And before you even knew it
That’s what all the papers said
The Yankees tried to manage
All the rumors that would spread
He ate too many hot dogs
Supposedly they said
Some thought it was exhaustion
Some thought it was the flu
Some thought it could be syphillus
But no one really knew
The Babe he would recover
And hit lots more home runs
More than any other
By the time his playing days were done
It’s said he loved his women
And he often stayed out late
And that he liked the taste of liquor
And he did not watch his weight
«The Mighty Babe is Dead!»
And before you even knew it
That’s what all the papers said