Supposedly, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern and started the fire. The fire spread, covering about four square miles and killing about 300 people. The city of Chicago was virtually leveled.

I immediately thought of the song “Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight”. It turns out that this song wasn’t originally about Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. However, the parody verses have stuck, and the cow version is listed in many children’s song books:

Late last night
When we were all in bed,
Mrs. O’Leary
Left a lantern in the shed.
The cow kicked it over,
Then winked her eye and said
“There’ll be a hot time
In the old town tonight!”

Relevant Records

• Hot Time in the Old Town (Silver Sounds 150)