Put Your Arms Around Me Honey, Hold Me Tight 

Junie McCree (1866–1918); Albert Von Tilzer (1878–1956)

This is the first of the 100 songs I ever actually sang. I was two years old, serenading my mommy while I sat on the toilet, which was our tradition for a couple years. Other potty serenades were “The Marine Hymn” (From the halls of Montezuma, etc.) and “Blues in the Night.”

Junie McCree was born Gonzalvo Macrillo in Toledo, Ohio. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century he acted in dozens of plays, but was probably best known for writing material for others. His gags, routines, one-act skits, and song writing collaborations were in great demand.  

For details about Von Tilzer, see “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” 1908.