Military cadence lyrics.

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
21

Our version was
I don’t know but I believe
I’ll be home by Christmas Eve
I don’t know but I’ve been told
Eskimo pussy’s mighty cold

and

If I die in a combat zone,
box me up and send me home
If I die on the Russian front
bury me with a Russian cunt.

For good a WW II vintage (and PG) Jody call, check out the movie Battleground

You had a good home but you left / You’re right
You had a good home but you left / You’re right
Jody was there when you left / You’re right
Your baby was there when you left / You’re right
Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2…3,4!
They signed you up for the length of the war /

I've never had it so good before

The best you’ll get in a biv-ou-ac /

Is a whiff of cologne from a passing WAC

Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2…3,4!
It goes on some more to
You ain’t got nothin’ to worry about /

He'll keep her happy until I get out

An’ you won’t get home til the end of the war /

In nineteen hundred and seventy four

My Dad was in the CBI and swears that they really did use 1964 and 1974 as the ending year of the war in that call from like 1943 on or so.

22

Those who are interested in the topic should note that there are two types of cadences, running and marching. The two activities obviously require different paces. Also the Army and the Marines have a much different way of saying cadence. The Marines pride themselves in being incomprehensible.

23

Army here. Most NCOs all used the same ones. So boring. I was everyone’s favorite because I’d use things like CCR’s “Proud Mary” for running. Once, marching at some ungodly early hour, a guy did Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. It made my day.

24

From Navy OCS, we had Marine Drill Instructors. Ours was Staff Sergeant Williams. Here is one of his favorites:
**
*Jesse James said before he died,

Four things that I always wanted to ride,

bicycle, tricycle, automobile,

and the Gunnery Sergeant’s wife when he’s in the field.***

A favorite of many of the Officer Candidates was Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” in cadence form (yes, I know it rhymes “masses” with “masses”):

***Generals gathered in their masses,

Just like witches in black masses,

Evil minds that plot destruction,

Sorceror of death’s construction,

In the fields the bodies burning

As the war machine keeps turning,

Death and hatred to mankind,

Poisoning their brainwashed minds***

25

Everywhere we go
People want to know
Who we are
And so we tell them

We’re not the Army
The back-packing Army
We’re not the Air Force
The low-flying Air Force
We’re not the Marines
They don’t even look mean
We’re not the Coast Guard
They don’t even work hard

We are the Navy
The world’s finest Navy
Am I right or wrong? (Right!)
Am I weak or strong? (Strong!)
Sound off (1-2)
Sound off (3-4)
Break it on down 1-2-3-4, 1-2, 3-4!
Ooh, Ahh! Zero Zero Four! <-- Last couple of lines change to match your class number

26

Now we sing dis stupid song
Sing it as we march along
We don’t sing this very well
We can’t make the words rhyme properly

27

Whoa Black Betty, cram ram ram
Whoa Black Betty, cram ram ram!
I guess nowadays it’s regarded as a song about a prostitute but I heard that in the 18th Century it was a song soldiers sang about a gun called Black Betty.