Mary Is a Grand Old Name

By George M. Cohan

1906

Cohan--by far the most dominant figure in American songwriting just prior to the dawn of the golden era of the Great American Songbook--composed this sweet, lyrical song for his famous musical Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway, in which it was introduced by the preeminent starlet of the stage, Faye Templeton. Some have speculated that he wrote it for his second wife, whose middle name was Mary. However, it's worth noting that at the time he wrote it, he was still one year away from divorcing his first wife... Cohan had a daughter in 1909, and named her Mary.

Lyrics:

For it is Mary; Mary

Plain as any name can be
But with propriety, society
Will say, "Marie"

But it was Mary; Mary
Long before the fashions came
And there is something there
That sounds so square
It's a grand old name.

Recorded By:

George M. Cohan
Bing Crosby
James Cagney
Glen Daly
Allen Dale