I’m a big fan of Drew Carey. I have been since I watched his sitcom, The Drew Carey Show religiously during its nine year run (September 1995 – September 2004), always singing along with the show’s original opening song, Moon over Parma, and then that song’s successor, Cleveland Rocks.

I had a sweatshirt sporting a Carey caricature with the words “Moon Over Parma,” I have an autographed picture of Drew Carey hanging in my man cave, and another I snapped of him in an Indians cap and jersey, taken prior to him throwing the first pitch before a Tribe game. I have a Drew Carey Bobblehead, again, him sporting an Indians Jersey and cap, and I was in Cleveland for the 2019 All Star Baseball week where he was the captain of one of the teams playing in the Celebrity Softball game featured as one of the “extras” of that experience.

In his show each week, I loved seeing the places he and his friends patronized after hours, each one displaying Indians, Browns, and Cavs paraphernalia on the walls of those places. I was also a huge fan of the hilarious program Whose Line Is It Anyway, where he hosted a panel of stand-up comedians/comediennes adlibbing various suggestions for skits with no scripts. I have the 1999 Browns return to Cleveland video, Here We Go Again, in which Drew Carey made a couple of appearances, and I remember him meeting at the center of the field in 1999 for the coin flip before the Browns first game back from “The Move” to Baltimore following the 1995 season.

In his celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire appearance, Carey made the Cleveland Public Library his charity, as it was that library he frequented often in his quest to be a stand-up comic, steering him to the humor and joke book section of the library which he credits much of the success in his achieving that goal.

Being such a fan of Cleveland, sometimes considering it my home away from home, it is understandable why I’m a fan of one of Cleveland’s favorite sons too.

My most memorable episode of The Drew Carey Show is one titled, In Ramada Da Vida, where Carey performed a song at a Cleveland Ramada Inn, where he was backed up by Cleveland’s own, James Gang, featuring guitarist Joe Walsh, of The Eagles fame. The song used the melody of a 1967 song done by Eric Burdon and the Animals titled, San Francisco Nights. Carey’s ditty was called In Cleveland Ohio.

The video-lyrics of the song Carey performed (which can be found on You Tube), are:

“Look at me, I’m 53,

the factory’s got the best of me,

in Cleveland, Ohio

Got a mortgage to pay, I got a lawn to mow,

in Cleveland, Ohio

Jeans of Blue, Waist 42,

my baseball cap has Chief Wahoo,

in Cleveland, Ohio

Humidity is up around 90 or so,

in Cleveland, Ohio

And when my work day’s through, I barbecue,

put the kids to bed, and make love to you

In Cleveland, Ohio

I was born there, I’ll probably die there, hope it doesn’t snow,

In Cleveland, Ohio.”

I’ve watched that You Tube video (check it out) often, still remembering the lyrics, and enjoying singing along with one of my favorite actors about one of my favorite cities. I then thought of my longevity in the place where I live, and fiddled around with the lyrics of Carey’s song and how it might fit my time in my town. So, I listened again to Carey’s, In Cleveland Ohio, a few more times, tweaked it here and there, and came up with my rendition of his ditty. Here’s what I ended up with:

Look at me, at 65 plus 3,

proudly now a retiree,

in Ja-amestown, New York

Got no mortgage to pay, Love to watch the Tribe play,

from Ja-amestown, New York

Love Cleveland too, got a Wahoo tattoo,

I joined the Browns Backers as a fan true and true,

in Ja-amestown, New York

Temperatures change within an hour or two,

in Ja-amestown, New York

Now my work days are through, I get to choose what to do,

fall asleep in my chair, and not worry ’bout hair

In Ja-amestown, New York

I was born here, I’ll probably die here, I’m sure that it will snow,

in Ja-amestown, New York.

Thanks Drew Carey, for your enthusiasm, talent, loyalty, and dedication to Cleveland. Thanks too, for this great “tongue in cheek” little ditty, and to the James Gang, for their accompaniment.

I was sad when The Drew Carey Show left the air, but someday I’d love the chance to see Carey perform at the National Comedy Center, in Ja-amestown, New York.