
MARCH ON WITH IBM

Verse:

The fame of IBM
Spreads across the seven seas,
Our standards fly aloft,
Proudly waving in the breeze,
With T.J. Watson guiding us
we lead throughout the world,
For peace and trade our
banners are unfurled - unfurled.

Chorus:

March on with IBM
We lead the way,
Onward we'll ever go,
In strong array;
Our thousands to the fore,
Nothing can stem,
Our march forevermore,
With IBM.

March on with IBM
Work hand in hand,
Stout hearted men go forth,
In every land;
Our flags on every shore,
We march with them,
On high forevermore,
For IBM.

To: THOMAS J. WATSON

Tune: "Auld Lang Syne"

T.J. Watson - you're our leader fine,
the greatest in the land,
We sing your praises from our hearts
we're here to shake your hand.
You're IBM's guiding star
throughout the hemispheres,
No matter what the future brings,
we all will perservere.

You've made our IBM so great
in every land supreme,
Our service meets all needs of men
and works just like a team.
You've brought us through to victory,
with leadership that's prime,
We'll always love and honor you
for the sake of Auld Lang Syne.

To: THOMAS J. WATSON

Pack up your troubles - T.J. Watson's here!
And smile, smile, smile.
He's the genius in our IBM
He's the man worth while
He's inspiring all the time,
And very versatile - oh!
He is our strong and able President!
His smile's worth while.

"Great organizer and a friend so true,"
Say all we boys,
Ever he thinks of things to say and do
To increase our joys.
He is building every day
In his outstanding style - so
Pack up your troubles Mr. Watson's here
And Smile - Smile - Smile

To: F. W. NICHOL (VP and General Manager, IBM)

His cause IBM and for all of its men
He is working and planning, we know;
His time without spare, and a knowledge
that's rare
Is making our company grow.
Yes, yes, we all know
Mr. Nichol you're making us grow;
Your thoughts full of zeal
which to you reveal
Ever help to keep us on the go.

Wherever we are, be it near or afar
We will find he has given us with care
A mesage to all that has sounded the call
For the will to go forward and dare.
Yes, yes we all know
Mr. Nichol you're making us grow;
the lessons you teach 
make us strive to e'er reach
Our records and keep on the go.

To: C.L. KIRK (Executive Vice-President, IBM)

Tune: "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny"

Ever we praise our able leaders.
And our progressive C.A. Kirk
is one of them.
He is endowed with the will to go forward.
He'll always work in the cause of IBM;
All of our people united applaud him,
As his success in our Company recall,
As we know that each one
is solidly for him.
Proud of the job he is doing for us all.

To: J.L. BARTON (Plant Manager, Endicott Plant)

In Endicott we have a man,
Whose thoughts will ever be,
To fill each need with greater speed,
Throughout our factory;
J.L. Barton, to IBM you're true;
You'll ever go ahead we know
And we are back of you.

IBM COUNTRY CLUB SONG
by Miss Viola M. Lee, Associate Member, IBM Country Club
(Sung to the tune of "Annie Lisle," the Cornell Alma Mater)

Verse: 

'Twixt the Susquehanna River,
and the hills so green:
Stands the Club House white and shining,
Fairest ever seen.
Fields for sport and lawns for playgrounds
Games when days are gray,
Many hours of healthful pleasure
Found there day by day.

Chorus: 
Thanks we give to our great leader
And we sing with vim,
"Hail to Mr. T.J. Watson
And the IBM."

HAIL TO THE IBM

Lift up our proud and loyal voices,
Sing out in accents strong and true,
With hearts and hands to you devoted
And inspiration ever new,
Your ties of friendship cannot sever,
Your glory time will never stem
We will toast a name that lives forever
Hail to the IBM.

Our voices swell in admiration,
Of T.J. Watson proudly sing,
He'll ever be our inspiration,
To him our voices loudly ring.
The IBM will sing the praises
Of him who brought us world acclaim,
As the volume of the chorus raises
Hail! To his honored name.

EVER ONWARD

Verse:

There's a thrill in store for all
for we're about to toast
The corporation that we represent.
We're here to cheer each pioneer 
and also proudly boast,
Of that man of men
our sterling president
The name of T.J. Watson means
a courage none can stem
And we feel honored to be
here to toast the IBM.

Chorus:

Ever Onward! Ever Onward!
That's the spirit that has brought
us fame.
We're big but bigger we will be,
We can't fail for all can see,
that to serve humanity
Has been our aim.
Our products now are known
in every zone.
Our reputation sparkles
like a gem.
We've fought our way through
And new fields we're sure to conquer, too,
For the Ever Onward IBM!

Ever Onward! Ever Onward!
We're bound for the top
to never fall,
Right here and now we thankfullyt
Pledge sincerest loyalty
To the corporation
that's the best of all
Our leaders we revere
and while we're here,
Let's show the world just what
we think of them!
So let us sing men - Sing men
Once or twice, then sing again
for the EVER ONWARD IBM!

___________________

Well, there you have it, whether you wanted it or not.  I love that
"We're here to cheer each pioneer;" that has to be the finest bit of
doggerel since "His buckskin shirt/all smeared with dirt."

A note on sources: these lyrics were from the liner notes to a record
distributed by Advanced Computer Techniques (ACT) Corporation at the
Western Joint Computer Conference circa 1960-62.  No explicit source
was quoted by ACT, but there were enough current and former IBMer's at
the conference that it was unlikely that they could have gotten away
with a fake.  There was also a rumor that IBM complained (and in those
days, a complaint from IBM was a formidable thing) and ACT stopped
handing the records out ... but then again they might have just run
out of stock.  I think this was also the Western Joint where Herb
Grosch said that "The missile race is the swan song of a dying
civilization," and thereby became the only VP of IBM ever to be fired
twice.  Ah, those were heady times ...

