Military cadence

A drill sergeant drills recruits in the U.S. Army.

In the armed services, a military cadence or cadence call is a traditional call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching. In the United States, these cadences are sometimes called jody calls or jodies, after Jody, a recurring character who figures in some traditional cadences.

Requiring no instruments to play, they are counterparts in oral military folklore of the military march. As a sort of work song, military cadences take their rhythms from the work being done (compare sea shanty). Many cadences have a call and response structure of which one soldier initiates a line, and the remaining soldiers complete it, thus instilling teamwork and camaraderie for completion. The cadence calls move to the beat and rhythm of the normal speed (quick time) march or running-in-formation (double time) march. This serves the purpose of keeping soldiers "dressed", moving in step as a unit and in formation, whilst maintaining the correct beat or cadence.

The word "cadence" was applied to these work songs because of an earlier meaning, in which it meant the number of steps a marcher or runner took per minute. The cadence was set by a drummer or sergeant and discipline was extremely important, as keeping the cadence directly affected the travel speed of infantry. There were other purposes: the close-order drill was a particular cadence count for the complex sequence of loading and firing a musket. In the Revolutionary War, Baron von Steuben notably imported European battlefield techniques which persist, greatly modified, to this day.

The Duckworth Chant (or Sound Off!)

A V-Disc issued in 1944 credits the origin of Sound Off (The Duckworth Chant) to Private Willie Duckworth; according to this story, in May of 1944, while returning to base with his exhausted unit, he began singing or chanting the first cadence, "Sound Off:"

Sound-off; 1 - 2; Sound-off; 3 - 4; Cadence count; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4; 1 - 2 — 3 - 4.

This cadence, known as the "Duckworth Chant," exists with some variations in many different branches of the U.S. military. Duckworth's simple chant soon was elaborated by folk tradition among drill sergeants and the soldiers under their command, and the tradition of creating elaborate marching chants or songs spread to other branches of the military.

Collected Cadences

Some common cadences collected at the Naval Academy include:

• Old King Cole
• Blood Upon the Risers
• I Wish All the Girls Were
• Irene Irene (Air Force cadence)

As soon as 1952, the U.S. Army adopted The Army Goes Rolling Along as its service theme song, with the lyric "count off the cadence loud and strong" a reference to Duckworth's cadence. Its melody and lyrics derive from the traditional When the Caissons Go Rolling Along.

"Jody calls"

In the United States, what are now known as cadences were called jody call or jody (also jodie) from a recurring character, a civilian named "Jody" whose luxurious lifestyle is contrasted with military deprivations in a number of traditional calls. The mythical Jody refers to a civilian who remains at home instead of joining the military service. Jody is often presumed to be medically unfit for service, a 4F in World War II parlance. Jody also lacks the desirable attributes of military men. He is neither brave nor squared-away. Jody calls often make points with ironic humor. Jody will take advantage of your girlfriend in your absence. Jody stays at home, drives the soldier's car, and gets the soldier's sweetheart (often called "Susie") while the soldier is in boot camp or in country. (Serendipitously, the name works just as well for female soldiers.)

The name derives from a stock character in African-American oral traditions. The character's name has been transcribed as "Joady," "Jody," "Jodie," "Joe D.", or even "Joe the ____" (in dialect, "Joe de ____") with Joe then identified by occupation. He was a stock anti-hero who maliciously took advantage of another man's absence. Enlisted African-American soldiers incorporated this character into cadence songs during the Second World War. When the military desegregated, these cadence songs spread service-wide.

Common themes in jodies include:

• Homesickness.
• Quotidian complaints about military life.
• Boasts (of one's own unit) and insults (of one's competitor, which may be another unit, another service branch, or the enemy.)
• Humorous and topical references.

One example used in the U.S. Army:

My honey heard me comin' on my left right on left

I saw Jody runnin' on his left right on left

I chased after Jody and I ran him down

Poor ol' boy doesn't feel good now

M.P.s came a runnin on their left right on left

The medics came a runnin' on their left right on left

He felt a little better with a few I.V.s

Son I told you not to mess with them ELEVEN Bs (the designation for infantry in the Army)

One from the U.S. Marine Corps:

Jody, Jody six feet four

Jody never had his ass kicked before.

I'm gonna take a three-day pass

And really slap a beating on Jody's ass!

Reverent

Reverent calls are a growing effort by conservative personnel in armed forces to rebuild the tradition of oratory recounting of military history in the convention of cadences. The effect this instills is a greater reverence in the squad performing and for the force whose story is retold in honorable PT. Each branch of an armed force has its stories, and an example of the base used is the 101st Infantry's "Airborne Ranger" in which references to Bataan for example are included to complement the story.

Airborne

Rangers lead the way

Lead in

Airborne

Rangers lead the way

Deep in the battlefield covered in blood

Lies an Airborne Ranger dying in the mud

Airborne

Rangers lead the way

With those silver wings upon his chest

Tell America that he's one of their best

Airborne

Rangers lead the way

Lead out

Airborne

Rangers lead the way

Another vietnam era one "deep in the jungle late last night"

deep in the jungle late last night

the army and the navy got into a fight

well the army beat em and they beat em real good

and now they think they are the best in the west

and now they think they are the best in the west

deep in the jungle late last night

the army and the air force got into a fight

well the army beat em and they beat em real good

and now they think they are the best in the west

and now they think they are the best in the west

deep in the jungle late last night

the army and charlie got into a fight

well the army beat em and they beat em real good

and now they think they are the best in the west

and now they think they are the best in the west

deep in the jungle late last night

the army and the devildogs got into a fight

well the devildogs beat em and they beat em real good

and now and now we know who's the best in the west

and now and now we know who's the best in the west

Comedic

Comedic calls are often born of reverent calls but sung for comedic value using clean calls, pop-culture references, and jokes to make PT more fun and entertaining. A popular example from the film Stripes was "Why did the chicken cross the road?" "To get from the left to the right." "Stepped out of rank, got hit by a tank." "He ain't a chicken no more."

Politically incorrect

Obscene, scatological, politically incorrect and violent jody calls exist, and were typical, especially during and before the Vietnam War. The use of such calls is now discouraged by the U.S. military, which instead emphasizes "clean" versions of traditional jodies. The flexibility of jodies is nearly unlimited, and old jodies have always been revived or rewritten as times and wars change.

An example of one such call is the first stanza of Yellow Bird:

A yellow bird with a yellow bill

Was perched upon my window sill

I lured him in with a piece of bread

And then I smashed his little head

(REPEAT)

In the last line, the word 'little' is frequently used to replace profanity. This is an example of the minor tweaks that frequently occur in cadences depending on the particular military unit or installation they are used at. A particular cadence, when used by an infantry or other combat arms unit may include explicit profanity, while the same cadence, when used by a training or medical unit, may be censored to a degree, as above.

The second verse to the preceding cadence:

The moral of,

The story is,

To get some head -

You need some bread

{REPEAT}

Politeness varies from unit to unit. In the US Army, the general rule is as follows: The more "hardcore" of a unit, the less PC the verses shall be. Of course, they also change to extoll the virtues of whichever unit is singing.

One from the U.S. Navy:

I wanna be a Navy pilot

I wanna fly an F-14

I wanna fly with the cockpit open

I wanna hear those commies scream

An excerpt from the popular "When I Go to Heaven", also known as "How'd Ya Earn Your Living" or "When I Get to Heaven"

When I go to bars

The girls they will say

How did you earn your living

How did you earn your pay

And my reply was with a cold kind of nod

I earn my living killing commies for my God

When I go home

The hippies they will say

How did you earn your living

How did you earn your pay

And I replied as I pulled out my knife

Get out of my way before I take yo' life

Another, more modern example of a politically incorrect cadence popular through the US Navy:

Running through the desert with my M-16,

I'm a mean Marine from the green machine!

Osama bin Laden, where you at?

I'm going to stick my bayonet in your ass!

I'm gonna twist it turn it and watch you cry,

I'm gonna twist it turn it until you die!

I don't know, but it's been said

Air force wings are made of lead

I don't know, but I've been told

Navy wings are made of gold

He-ey Ar-rmy

Ba-ack packing Ar-my

Put on your packs and follow me

I'm in the U.S. Navy

He-ey Air Force

Lo-ow flying Air Force

Get in your planes and follow me

I'm in the U.S. Navy

He-ey Coast Guard

Pud-dle pirate Coast Guard

Get in your boats and follow me

I'm in the U.S. Navy

He-ey Marines

They don't even hygiene

Pick up your rifles and follow me

I'm in the U.S. Navy

The following verses are from "Napalm Sticks to Kids." One of the most politically incorrect cadences of Vietnam, these verses are selected as being more politically correct than the others.

Chorus: Napalm sticks to kids,

like glue!

Flying low across the trees,

Pilots doing what they please,

Dropping frags on refugees,

Napalm sticks to kids

like glue!

Goods in the open, making hay,

But I can hear the gunships say,

"There'll be no Chieu Hoi today,"

Napalm sticks to kids.

Napalm, son, is lots of fun,

Dropped in a bomb or shot from a gun,

It gets the gooks when on the run,

Napalm sticks to kids.

like glue!

CIA with guns for hire,

Montagnards around a fire,

Napalm makes the fire go higher,

Napalm sticks to kids.

like glue!

Bombadiers don't care a bit,

Just as long as the pieces fit,

When you stuff the bodies in a pit,

Napalm sticks to kids.

Chuck in a sampan, sitting in the stern,

They don't think their boats will burn,

Those damn gooks will never learn,

Napalm sticks to kids.

like glue!

NVA are all hard core,

Flechettes never are a bore,

Throw those PSYOPS out the door,

Napalm sticks to kids.

Like glue!

Controversy of themes used in some Cadences

Some cadences used by the U.S. military have created controversy about the theme of their content. Critics have claimed that some are used as part of a methodical program designed to turn recruits into reflexive killers. The messages chanted by recruits may promote brutal treatment of civilians and the themes even suggest that troops should aspire to kill civilians gathered in public areas. The following is a cadence sometimes used in the training program of recruits:

Bomb the village

Kill the people

Throw some napalm in the square

Do it on a Sunday morning

Kill them on their way to prayer

Ring the bell inside the schoolhouse

Watch the kiddies gather round

Lock and load with your 240

Mow them little motherfuckers down

The controversy originated in part due to numerous reports that U.S. troops have acted violently towards civilians and prisoners starting almost immediately after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. A number of Iraq War veterans now speak publicly that they have felt uncomfortable reciting cadences with such violent themes. These cadences in fact have nothing to do with the military oath which officers have pledged to honor, which is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Non-military cadences

Police

Police personnel who train in para-military fashion also have acquired the tradition for its recruits in the police academy. However, the "lyrics" are changed for law enforcement, for example:

A six gun a tin star a horse named Blue.

In 1890 a cop held these true.

In 1930 the tommy gun.

It made police work a lot more fun.

A big block Dodge Polara it's true.

In sixty six it came out of the chute.

We got night vision on our M14's.

We're the ones they call to secure the scene

In 20 years, who knows what it will be.

Phaser guns mounted on my HumVee.

From a horse named Blue to a big HumVee

We'll still PT in the Academy!

(Last line yelled)

Fire academy

Fire academies in the U.S. often train in a para-military style. The following is a common cadence heard in the Fire Academy.

When my grand mama was 91

She did PT just for fun

When my grand mama was 92

She did PT better than you

When my grand mama was 93

She did PT better than me

When my grand mama was 94

She did PT more and more

When my grand mama was 95

She did PT to stay alive

When my grand mama was 96

She did PT just for kicks

When my grand mama was 97

She up, she died, she went to heaven

When my grand mama was 98

She meet St. Peter at the Pearly Gate

She said St. Peter, sorry I'm late

when my grand mama was 99

She did PT mighty-fine

External links

• Actual Mp3s of cadences
• Collection of Military Cadences
• more background on the Duckworth cadence
• Link to mp3 and a full text of the Jody Cadence
• Special Operations.com Cadence Database
• Military Cadence Calls, Military Songs and Jody Calls Forum

References

• Burke, Carol. 1989. "Marching to Vietnam," Journal of American Folklore 102(406): 424-441.