# Songs for Artillery? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 5, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436 "2014-04-05T22:16:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/21 "2014-04-07T02:31:15Z")
And anything by [88mm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-CQoTtjFsk). ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/22 "2014-04-07T10:07:18Z")
“The Battle of New Orleans”-- I think that’s it’s title. You know, the one that starts with " in 1814 I took a little trip" And has a verse about “we fired our cannon till the barrel melted down, then we grabbed an alligator and we poured another round” ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/23 "2014-04-07T10:39:12Z")
The Mexican hip-hop group Control Machete’s big album (with the songs that were in _Amores Perros_ and the Levi’s commercial) was called Artilleria Pasada, which means “heavy artillery” and has a title track by the same name. I’m guessing the song isn’t literally about heavy artillery, but I couldn’t tell you what the cultural reference is. Image searching for “artilleria pasada” also isn’t exactly safe for work. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/24 "2014-04-07T12:00:36Z")
Here’s an Army Cadence I used to sing when I was in the field artillery: _“Oh hail, oh hail artillery! King Of Battle fight with me oh hail, oh hail artillery! nothing in the world is free. If I should die in a combat zone box me up and send me home”_ Which is a bastardization of the 101st Airborne cadence, seen here: [King of Battle (101st Airborne Version) - Army Education Benefits Blog](http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/cadence/marching_cadence/king-of-battle-101st-airb.shtml) Hey, a cadence is a song! ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/25 "2014-04-07T14:49:40Z")
You could try **Curved Air** ’s _Vivaldi (with cannons)_. It’s on their [debut lp](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0LkAPlKFDw) with somewhat more cannon-like noises but [either](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbAHkb4bW5Y) of [these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u6OFTZCRAY) is pretty good. The first one’s sound is a bit closer to the studio version. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/26 "2014-04-07T14:57:40Z")
Just remembered another one : Rammstein’s\* Feuer Frei\*. Not specifically about artillery (it just means “fire at will”), but it sure sounds like a 105mm battery is going off 🙂 [QUOTE=Snowboarder Bo] For songs about war and anything related to war, always remember **Bolt Thrower** [/QUOTE] The one and only Warhammer 40k gimmick metal band. Which is surprising honestly, because WH40k is about as mëtäl as it gets, as a setting. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/27 "2014-04-07T14:59:02Z")
([link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ARCuTlg-Y8), edit is giving me crap) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/28 "2014-04-09T11:57:27Z")
[Cows with Guns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOO7g6y0KM8) mentions an Uzi, which makes me feel that the remainder of their guns were artillery pieces, otherwise surely they would have said rifles. Clearly the makers of the video clip disagree, and are wrong. Also any songs referencing Barbara would have been understood by old artillerists to be referring to their patron saint. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/29 "2014-04-09T23:54:43Z")
[The British Grenadiers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Grenadiers) is (obviously) about grenadiers, and is the regimental quick march of, among others, the Royal Artillery. ETA: I linked to the Wiki (sorry) but for heaven’s sake don’t listen to the ridiculous version they’ve got as their sound clip. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard. Try a youtube of the Trooping of the Colour instead. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/30 "2014-04-10T01:17:27Z")
Warren Zevon - Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner Clash - Tommy Gun ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/31 "2014-04-10T19:36:59Z")
> [@Mekhazzio](#): > > That would be a bad thing. 4-pounders are on the bottom of the naval combat scale, utterly ineffective against anything but the smallest craft, and if they’re cracked, they can’t even be used anyway due to risk of explosion. They’re pop guns mounted only for show. That’s the point of the verse. The _Antelope_ lists to port, her sails are in tatters, and they made it from Halifax to Jamaica by “pumping like madmen” all the way. Not exactly the finest ship in the fleet. In the first battle, the _Antelope’s_ guns don’t even make a dent in the yankee ship, but the yankee’s shot takes off both the narrator’s legs, bringing his naval career to an abrupt end. Damn them all, I was told We’d cruise the seas for American gold. We’d fire no guns, shed no tears, But I’m a broken man on a Halifax pier, The last of Barrett’s privateers. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436/32 "2014-04-10T21:28:20Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > They played “Boum” sang by Trenet in the France episode of “The World at War.” Funny. I think this is why the OP listed it, but when you like at the translated lyrics it’s not about [artillery at all.](http://www.kovideo.net/boum-english-translation-lyrics-charles-trenet-1226406.html) It’s a great scene in a great documentary series though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-for-artillery/685436.md?page=1)