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.

…as a company … was returning from a long tedious march through swamps and rough country, a chant broke the stillness of the night. Upon investigation, it was found that a Negro soldier by the name of Willie Duckworth, on detached service with the Provisional Training Center, was chanting to build up the spirits of his comrades.

It was not long before the infectious rhythm was spreading throughout the ranks. Footweary soldiers started to pick up their step in cadence with the growing chorus of hearty male voices. Instead of a down trodden, fatigued company, here marched 200 soldiers with heads up, a spring to their step, and smiles on their faces. This transformation occurred with the beginning of the Duckworth Chant.

Upon returning to Fort Slocum, Pvt. Duckworth, with the aid of Provisional Training Center instructors, composed a series of verses and choruses to be used with the marching cadence. After that eventful evening the Duckworth Chant was made a part of the drill at Fort Slocum as it proved to be not only a tremendous morale factor while marching, but also coordinated the movements of close order drill with troop precision.

This original cadence was recorded as "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, "Joe the Grinder,"[1] who is also prominent in Merle Haggard's song "The Old Man of the Mountain."[2] 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.

Lineberry emphasizes conflicting uses of the calls: they are useful to command, in that they serve as instruments to psychologically detach the soldier from home-life, and to inculcate a useful degree of aggression. They are useful to the soldier, who can vent dissatisfaction without taking individual responsibility for the expression. While jodies, strictly speaking, are folklore (they are not taught institutionally, and do not appear, for example, in FM 22-5, Drill and Ceremonies Field Manual), some are tolerated and even encouraged by leadership, while others are subversive.

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.

Lineberry offers an alternative, psychologically and functionally-oriented taxonomy. There are negative themes (disrespect expressed for deities, women, homosexuals, the enemy and economically deprived comrades; graphic expression of violence perpetrated on women and the enemy, glorification of substance abuse) but also positive (unit pride, encouragement of comrades) and perhaps in-between, expressions of contempt for death and indifference to mortality.

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!

At the end of the 1949 movie Battleground (Film) the cadence sung is as follows, with the call initiated by the drill sergeant and the response from the rest of the platoon:

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!

There ain't no use in going back /

Jody's livin' it up in the shack

Jody's got somethin' you ain't got /

It's been so long I almost forgot

Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!

Your baby was lonely, as lonely could be /

Til Jody provided the company

Ain't it great to have a pal /

Who works so hard just to keep up morale

Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!

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

Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!

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 (Physical Training). 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

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." Prior to women being commonplace in Army ranks, comedic cadences were more prevalent. Example: See that lady wearing brown? She makes her livin' goin' down... She's a deep-sea diver... a deep sea diver.

See that lady wearing black? She makes her livin' on her back... she's a back-stroke swimmer... a back stroke swimmer.

See that lady from the south? She make her living with her mouth... she's a rock n' roll singer... a rock n' roll singer.

And so on.

Controversial

Obscene, scatological, Controversial 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 sittin on 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, or especially if officers are present, 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}

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 Controversial cadence popular through the US Navy:

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

bullet-sponge marine corps

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 well known cadences of Vietnam.

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

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 Pursuit.

In sixty six it came out of the chute.

We got night vision on our M16's.

Theses are the tools to keep us alive.

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

Hoo-rah grand mama

Whatcha doin grand mama

She loves to double time

She does it all the time

Left Left Lefty right-o left right

Left Left keep it in step now

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

Hoo-rah grand mama

Whatcha doin grand mama

She loves to double time

She does it all the time

Left Left Lefty right-o left right

Left Left keep it in step now

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/

She went side-straddle hoppin' through the pearly gate

when my grand mama was 99

She did PT mighty-fine/

She had Ol' J.C. Doublin' Time

External links

• 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
• "Cadence Calls: Military Folklore in Motion"[3]

References

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