Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1918 — “I’M RAIRIN' TO GO” LATEST SONG HIT [ARTICLE]

“I’M RAIRIN' TO GO” LATEST SONG HIT

Some few weeks ago when the first batch of questionnaires were being sent out, there emerged from the mountains of Kentucky an amusing story which gained a position on the front pages of the big city dailies throughout the country. A big, raw-boned Kentucky Moun- , taineer, .who had, no doubt, never been out of his native hills since he first saw the light of day, came into the office of the conscription board of a small county seat town in Kentucky one day and inquired if that might be the place where he could get “fixed up” for the war. On being informed that is was, the giant Kentuckian threw an envelope on a table containing the questionnaire which he had received a few days before. The clerk opened the envelope and was surprised to find ! scrawled across the front page of the questionnaire the words: “I’m Rairin’ To Go.” Why, “exclaimed the clerk,” you haven’t filled out your questionnaire at all. “Well,” drawled the mountaineer, “I’d rather go to war than try to fill out this blankety-blank thing.” The wishes of the Kentuckian were gratified and he was recorded as a 1-A man. And, as Shakespeare was want to say, thereby hangs a tale. The above story attracted the attention of Lon Healy and set him to thinking. But he did not think for long and soon the story of the Kentucky fighter was set to words and music under the name of the Rensselaer composer. Lon chose as his title the homely, but forceful words of the subject of the above story.

“I’m Rairin’ To Go,” is a catchy little song and is undoubtedly the best ever composed by Mr. Healy. It is full of rag-time and pep and is bound to be a go whereever it is introduced. The song was used in the home talent play at Remington last Friday and was the hit of the evening and will be used again to night when the play is to be presented again. The. first copies of the song arrived in Rensselaer today and are on sale at Jarrette’s Variety store.