The Night We Drove Old Woody Down

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The Night We Drove Old Woody Down

Tiger Band has a long tradition, dating back to the military cadet corps days, of singing military/collegiate parodies of popular songs and opponents' fightsongs. These are enshrined in a precious document known as the Unhymnal - The Unofficial Songbook of the Clemson University Bands. An excellent example of these parodies (and completely G rated - unlike many popular ditties) is "The Night We Drove Old Woody Down", set to the tune of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", voiced so soulfully by Arkansas native, and only American in The Band, Levon Helm. In the traditional ballad style demonstrated by Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", this ditty describes the events of the Gator Bowl of December 29, 1978.

Woody Hayes was his name,

And coach known across the land,

Until at the Michigan game

He punched a cameraman.

Was the winter of '78;

We had the chance to play Ohio State.

It was the time that Woody fell,

It's a time that I remember, oh, so well.

Chorus

The night we drove old Woody down,

And all the papers were telling about

The Night we drove old Woody down,

And all of Clemson was yelling,

They went "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Like me father before me,

I'm a Clemson man,

And like my brother before me,

I marched in Tiger Band.

Art Schlichter threw, but alas,

Charlie Bauman intercepted his pass,

That's when I jumped out of my seat

To watch the Buckeyes in a major defeat.

Chorus

Unlike last year at the Gator Bowl

When Pittsburgh had us in a hole,

My friend said "Quick, come see - - there goes old Woody!"

We saw him punch Charlie B. with the world watching on ABC,

But even the King of the Big Ten

Can't slug a player and then coach again.

Chorus

New lyrics by Horn-player Mark Sublette, with help on the third verse from trumpeter David Scott, from a "bright idea" by Ohio State student, and guitar-player Kenneth A. Karrenbauer.