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Gee, Mom, I Want to Go Home

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"Gee, Mom, I Want to Go Home"
Song

"Gee, Mom, I Want to Go Home" (also known as "I Don't Want No More of Army Life") is a traditional, humorous song satirizing life in the Armed Forces. Each verse has two lines relating what recruits are told, followed by an exaggerated description of the fact. For example:

The biscuits in the Army
They say are mighty fine,
One rolled off the table
And killed a pal of mine.

The original song was sung by Canadian soldiers during World War II. With original chorus

"Oh, I don't want no more of army life
Gee ma, I wanna go
back to Ontario
Gee ma, I wanna go ho_o_ome!"

The song occurs in several variations, the lyrics being adapted for the different branches of the Armed Forces, and it has been transformed into a camp song as well.[1]

  • The song appeared in the 1943 play Winged Victory by Moss Hart.[2]
  • Folk singer Lead Belly performed the song (as "Gee, But I Want to Go Home" or "Army Life" [3] ) on several 1940s recordings.
  • The song was released as a single, titled "I Don't Want No More of Army Life", in 1950 by Texas Jim Robertson [4]
  • The song was performed in the 1977 M*A*S*H episode "Movie Tonight", in Season 5, with lyrics adapted to the characters and situations in the show.[5]

Hawkeye and B.J., Colonel Potter, Klinger, Hotlips, Radar and 4 new nurses all sing a verse each. Franks Burns tries to sing a verse after everyone has finished the song.

  • Manny Singer (Ray Liotta) sings a verse to his despondent daughter shortly after the death of her mother at the beginning of the 1994 film Corrina, Corrina.
  • The song was quoted in the RiffTrax for the 2011 film Thor.

References

  1. ^ American Children's Folklore by Simon J. Bronner, p. 110
  2. ^ Winged Victory by Moss Hart p. 22
  3. ^ Discogs - Easy Rider: Leadbelly Legacy Vol.4 vinyl-10"-LP 1953, Folkways (FA 2034) US; recorded January 1941-1946
  4. ^ Billboard Nov. 4, 1950, p. 27
  5. ^ M*A*S*H FAQ


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