We all know the words. “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” Well, we know that much, at least. The song was actually recorded in 1929 by a group called “Waring’s Pennsylvanians.” As the name implies, the band was from Pennsylvania (the founder and leader attended Penn State) and included as many as 12 members.
In the video below (this is a real treat for ice cream fans), you can hear the ode to ice cream in its entirety. The “frog-voiced drummer,” so called in this article on the band, became popular after this song was released and was known to play melodies on his teeth!
For those who want to sing along, the complete lyrics can be found here.
Tags: ice cream, song, video, warings pennsylvanians
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
great site
What an interesting old record player!
The history of the group is pretty neat.
I bet some ice cream would help that froggy voice.
Never knew there was anything more to the song except that line until the pop quiz….
Oh, wow! I never knew! Ever since I was a kid, I always sing it when I go get some ice cream.
You learn something new every day
I didn’t know the history of the song, either. Learn something new every day …
LOVE IT!!
have you ever heard the “Ice Cream Sundae Song” by the Uncle Brothers?
I wanna someday build an ice cream sundae
that’s bigger than your freezer and bigger than a tree
then I’m gonna find a million hungry people
and give ‘em a spoon to share it with me
We …need… a bowl that’s big enough
maybe as big as your school
I …think I have a good idea
Let’s use a nice big swimming pool
Now we need truck loads of ice cream
enough to fill up the pool
keep those trucks a comin
any flavor in the world will be totally cool
I wanna someday build an ice cream sundae
that’s bigger than your freezer and bigger than a tree
then I’m gonna find a million hungry people
and give ‘em a spoon to share it with me
Whoa whoa whoa I love an ice cream sundae
Whoa whoa whoa and everyone will love it too
Next…comes… a ton of syrup
chocolate, sticky and hot
we…can..use a helicopter
to cover our sundae from bottom to top
Now we… will ask a farmer
can we borrow a bunch of cows?
cause we need a blizzard of whipped cream
we’ll push it on top with big snow plows
Now there is something missing
there’s is something we have to do
let’s all shovel on the crunchies
gummies and sprinkles, and peanuts too
Where will we find a cherry
bigger than you and me?
I’ll climb the beanstalk just like Jack
and I’l borrow a cherry from the giant’s tree
and we’ll use… cherry vanilla, peanut butter
and chocolate chip cookie dough
mint chip, butter pecan and peach,
cookies and cream and rocky road
coffee, toffee, ripple fudge,
pistacio and rum raisin
vanilla, chocolate, strawberry
and when I get done,
I’ll run, to the gym!
I used to have this tape when I was a toddler that played a few songs with the same sounds that came from an ice cream tuck. (I think my parents used it to help me fall asleep at nap time because it was soothing and had no lyrics). So to mess with my, my older sister would take the tape and play it on full blast from the car parked in the driveway. I would get so excited and grab my spare change from my piggy bank and run outside thinking that the ice cream man was coming, but would then be so sad to find out I was fooled!
Maybe its time for a new song.
boring….
Oh, Pennsylvania. What an interesting bunch of people who live there (including me right now)
Gee, I never knew it was a complete song!I thought it was just what we do!
I never knew it was a complete song!I thought it was just what we do!
I never knew it was a complete song!I thought it was just what we say when we want ice cream!
sorry for the duplicates…I kept getting messages that it wasn’t being posted.
I don’t think I ever heard the whole song before. What a cool way to present it!
How interesting! I’ve only known the phrase….cool to hear the entire song.
I never new the history of the song. Turkey Hill thanks for espanding my history,never to old to learn. Linda
I, too, never knew it was a song. I thought it was just an ice cream cheer. I know that we said it often as kids.
wow didn’t know that was a song!
I never knew the whole song and history. Thanks for sharing. I scream for Turkey Hill!
I never new it was a real song I thought it was of an old commercial type of thing that just stuck with everyone
This is one of my favorite entries so far. I love it.
It’s late and the kids are asleep but I’ll have to play this for them tomorrow.
I love the Ice Cream Sundae song posted as well.
I didn’t know it was a real song either. I thought some advertiser made that up. lol
I just mixed “I scream for ice cream” with some 2009 beats.
Its early in the morning on the Jersey Shore, and its HOT and HUMID already, I’m screaming for Ice Cream NOW! Need something to cool me down.
What a rare historical audio frozen “treat!” The froggy voiced singer reminds me of a toss between that froggy voiced boy on The Little Rascals and Popeye The Sailorman lol
Love the Ice Cream month blog. It’s the only one I’ve every participated in and come back every year.
I just said those words to my kids the other day
I didn’t know there was a song.
Loved it! Now I’m screaming for ice cream!!
After that I had to go get my Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream to help calm me down.
Thanks Ernie, for this great history note. I knew the scream phrase, as did everyone else, but never thought it was part of a song. I do remember my parents listening to Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians when I was a kid.
Hey I love the Sundae song Megan, never heard that one before. Brought my disabled 82yr. old brother to the computer and left him listen to the Ice Cream song, it put a smile on his face which is rare these days, but then again he loves his TH ice cream. Linda
Thanks…for the memories.
Good Morning Turkey Hill fans
That was before my time,but I love the song. I love the words by Uncle brother.it was very cute. Turkey Hill when are you going to come with a hip hop/jazz song? I know everyone will buy.
This is just simply fun. It will put a smile on anyone’s face.
That was great. Thank you for the song! I just finished some yard work & came in to relax. Now that I’ve listened to the song it’s time for some ice cream!!
Love the song–even though it was before my time–reminds me of the present Creamery at Penn State and of the great Turkey Hill Ice Cream around here. Have to love Ice Cream.
Wow, I didn’t know that was actually from a song. Good to know.
That’s my favorite song!
My kids are napping, so I can’t play the video now. I’ll have to come back and watch it later!
That was great! Me and Lad enjoyed listening to it. Use to have 78′s when I was growing up. They were Mom and Dad’s.
I think it is funny that the “video” is the record playing. I’d rather look at some ice cream!
Nope, I never heard the song before, although I had of course heard the phrase! It’s interesting to imagine what sort of today’s singers might be the modern counterparts to how that band was viewed during their popularity…
The group was called “Fred Waring and the Pennsylvaninans” He had a T.V. show back in the fifties. Just an added note, Fred Waring was the inventor of the blender. The brand name bears his name, “Waring Blender.”
What a classic! For a song to last from ages to ages…that says a lot!
I, too, was familiar with the phrase, but not the song. Thanks for sharing that. Yes, it would have been nice to have had a video of them singing and playing their instruments, but I don’t think that was possible in 1929.
However, it was nice seeing and hearing the old record being played.
What great info you keep giving us…Is that an old Victrola record player…it looks just like the ones my uncles collects…when we were young he loved to play them for us
I heard of the the group: Fred Waring had a big band sound that carried over for many years I believe.
Just listening to the song made me want to go grab a bowl of ice cream!
what a nice song on a “Sundae” Sunday !!!! thanks
What i wouldnt do for some Turkey Hill right now. Cant wait till i get home. there is some in the freezer. (it was on sale, too!!).
never knew anyone ever recorded song about ice cream, even though i’ve herard the expression “you scream i scream”.
I’m still scream for ice cream and I just had my ultimate summertime indulgence, ice cream on the Jersey shore. Ah, heaven!
To learn more about Mr. Waring and his Spectacular Pennsylvanians and their contributions to our nation as entertainers, visit
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/waring.html.
Yum! Yum!
that is so neat
Very interesting.
I Loved it !
Thanks
(Oh, and it was neat to see a record playing too).
I NEVER KNEW ALL THE WORDS TO THE SONG!
THANKS, TURKEY HILL!
Thanks for the rest of the lyric.
I learn new things everyday from the Ice Cream Journal.
WE ARE!!!! PENN STATE!!!!! I love that the ice cream journal just keeps giving me more and more reasons to brag about my school!
That was so cool!
wonderful journal entry!
Seeing the record player with record playing sure brought back memories. Thanks for this informative ice cream journal.
I remember as a kid playing some of my parents, and grandparents records this brings back some very good memories.
i too have yelled
Interesting song.A foxtrot.Who would have thunk?
I didn’t know there was a whole song until I took the quiz.
cool….as Ice Cream!
There’s a lot that I don’t know that Turkey Hill does…
Thanks for the information.
The kids really liked the video very much, now the tune will stick with us all day !!!
I would certainly scream if I didn’t get my ice cream!
I hadn’t heard the entire song before today. Thanks for the delve into the past.
Go Penn State
That video sure brought back a lot of memories. I remember old record players that played 45′s and 78′s. We’ve come a long way!!
I never knew there was a song dedicated to ice cream, maybe someone should write a new one about the delicious flavors of Turkey Hill.
A 33 record, haven’t seen one of those in quite awhile, that sure brings back some great memories! As a kid I loved to dance to them in my parents living room. Of course we also had to have ice cream afterward in order to calm down. I don’t remember that song, but it was fun listening to it. Thanks for all of your memories, and especially for TH ice cream.
This is a great article! We even sang it growing up in Buffalo in the 50′s! barbara
I remember screaming for ice cream when I was a kid, in fact I still do scream(a good scream) for my Turkey Hill. Also lets scream for the Nittany Lion, WE ARE PENN STATE !!!!!!!!
Although that was my era, I never heard the song. Thanks, Turkey Hill!
I have said that line before but never knew it was part of a song. Thanks for this piece of historical information!
this is histerical, I have to share this with my girlfriends. too funny.
I’m amazed by the history of the group that made this song. VERY impressive.
I finally had a chance to listen to the song and it’s too funny.
I followed along with the lyrics and it didn’t seem as if they sand the last verse. In any case I sang it.
Thanks for the history lesson!
Serendipity in NYC is so over-rated. We’d rather sit out back with a half gallon of Turkey Hill, a bunch of spoons and good friends. Ahh, summer time!
That was so much fun! Very dated with the long intro! However timeless in it’s spirit!
I was born in 1950 and actually heard this before! Too Funny still really disappointed that I could not find Southern Lemon Pie in any of the stores!!!
I GREW UP TO MY GRANDMOTHER SINGING THE SONG. SINCE I AM AN ICE CREAM LOVER, I LOVE TO SING IT ALSO!! I OFTEN SING IT TO MY KIDS!!! HOPEFULLY THEY WILL PASS IT DOWN TO THEIR KIDS TOO!!!
What a great story. It brings back
SO MANY MEMORIES of when I was a little girl. My dad would surprise me with a sugar cone filled with my favorite flavor…good old fashioned VANILLA!
Those were the days…an old fashioned
lazy summer afternoon with family and
friends in the back yard.
that was cute was that Popeye i heard in there
I haven’t heard that expression for some time. I wasn’t even aware that is was part of a song. Thanks for doing the research.
Hearing the entire song for the first time ever sent me into an ice cream scream frenzy !
Live and Learn.
I loved this song! Just a little bit of fun and nonsense added to my day! thanks!
My kids will get a kick out of seeing a record player – I don’t think they’ve ever seen one. Also, for those interested in political correctness, check out http://www.aaanativearts.com/alaskan-natives/eskimo.htm to find out where using the term “eskimo” is not acceptable
Love the ice cream song! I can eat ice cream til my tongue goes numb from being frozen.
Ice Cream cures most troubles.
I enjoyed the story about the ice cream song. I already knew about Fred Waring and his Philadelphians. Thank you. As a matter of record, my favorite Turkey Hill flavor is Tin Roof Sundae. Also I want my fellow ice cream lovers to know that I wrote my first novel and they can find it on johnofdivinity.com. Thanks.
Just love this song, really cool!
I never knew that there was a song to the “I Scream, You scream” phrase. I don’t like the song very much
When I was a kid, 60+ years ago, I had a wonderful family of neighbors who had transplanted from PA. They sat and sang around the table often after dinner…and I was often there for the sining. The Ice Cream Song was part of every evening’s repertoire, but I never knew the origin. Good memories- thanks.
extremely cool!!!!
The one soloist sounded like Popeye
The One soloist sounded like Popeye.
That’s so interesting! My nieces always sing “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!” I will have to let them hear the whole original song. They’ll love it!
That was great! Was that Popeye the Sailor Man singing along?
We’ve known about this poem for a long time but never with music.
Yes, when I was at the Patee Library this spring I visited the Fred Waring museum room. A little known Famous Pennsylvanian.
Thanks for a trip back in time!
I’ve heard that saying growing up in the 70′s but have never heard the song, Didn’t know there was a song.
i love the old record player and the album w/the dog on it. the record player is a little before my time : ) i’m only 44, but it looks really cool. i miss being a kid.
i never heard the whole song great to hear thanks
My mother used to sing that song to me when I was a little girl in the early 60′s. It brings back such great memories of a much better time.
sounds like an ice cream break for us!
I, like many others on here, had often heard the phrase, but never realized that it was from an actual song (and one performed by Fred Waring, no less!).
Thanks for the information, the entertaining web site, and the great tasting ice cream!
I scream for Turkey Hill ice cream
My dad is going to love watching this.
I LOVE ICE CREAM!!!!!
Haven’t heard the “I scream for ice cream” song in years! Thanks for returning wonderful memories.
I’ve heard the expression “I scream …
We all scream..” but didn’t know there
was a song.
I just emailed this to my parents! They will really enjoy watching it just as much as I did!!
By the way… In our home the children don’t know that there is another brand of icecream. Its always been Turkey Hill!
That’s pretty funny. Great blog!
The Turkey Hill Duetto flavors are really great, and all of the flavors are very cooling on a warm, humid, summer day.
I never knew there was an actual song with more lyrics than “I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream!”!
It was Fantastic learning the actual lyrics and learning the who sang the song! And to top it off, to see it being played on the old record player! The only treat better would be a big dish of Turkey Hill Ice Cream! I’m going to get some NOW!
What a great dicovery finding that record. A treasure!
I never knew, like so many others, that there was an actual song with many lyrics to the popular phrase about ice cream. Thanks so much for sharing!
I never knew there were more lyrics to the popular ice cream phrase. Thanks for sharing!
Turkey Hill is my favorite brand of ice cream. If I could arrange for you to sell to Publix, the largest and best supermarket chain in Florida, how much of a commission would you pay me? You could send a refrigerated tractor trailer to Florida every day. Or, you could send a refrigerated railroad car to Florida every day. The people in Florida would love your ice cream. You could even private label it for Publix.
I remember Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians, but I didn’t remember that his group did this song. Thanks for sharing this with us.
My brother enjoys his Ice Cream so much I had to purchase him a large bowl and inside the bowl it says I Love Ice Cream
Loved this about the Ice Cream song. Shared it with all my friends. Thanks a bunch.
I remember this song. I also remember a song that went like this…Ice cream, ice cream, I make it, you take it, hey hey. Hey mister, yes sister, have you no vanilla today? Yes, we have no vanilla, but how ’bout some tooty fruity cutie. Or how ’bout a sundae, oh never on Monday, but I’ll make it special for you! Does anyone remember this song? Know who sang it?
Haven’t heard that some in a long time…Makes me hungry for ice cream
The song ‘Kelly H’ is referring to is ‘Here Comes The Ice-Cream Man’ (aka ‘The Ice Cream Song’) by T. Marvin Hatley and Billy Gilbert from the Our Gang (Little Rascals) short “Shrimps for a Day” (1934). The song is sung by Olive Brasno, with help from George Brasno and Spanky.
http://theluckycorner.com/rmt/133.html
It’s also heard very briefly in the short “Framing Youth” (1937).