Whats your favorite cadence?

[P38 Pilot]

What are some of your favorite cadences? One of my favorites is Airborne Ranger:

Rangers!
All the way
Here we go
Here we go



C-130 rollin down the strip!
Airborne Daddy goin' take a little trip
Mission unspoken, destination unknown,
dont even know if were ever coming home!

Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door
Jump right out and count to four,
If my main dont open wide,
Ive got a reserve by my side,
and if that one should faill me too,
look out ground, im a coming through!
And if I die on the old drop zone,
box me up and ship me home
Tell my girl i did my best,
Bury me with the leanin' rest!

When I get to heaven;
Saint Peters goin' say!
"How'd ya earn your living"
"How'd ya earn your pay?"
I will reply with a whole lotta anger!
Earned my pay as an AIRBORNE RANGER!

[ndicki]

We don't have those, but one we used to sing anyway was a little less gung-ho (one never likes to be boastful, after all), and a little more tongue in cheek:

I wanna be a bus-conductor!
I wanna have long, greasy hair!
I wanna be a bus conductor,
Smokin' ganja everywhere...

About all I can remember...

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

These were my favorites that we sang when I was in the Army:

Airborne Ranger

I wanna be an airborne ranger,
Live the life of guts and danger.

Airborne ranger,
Life of danger.

I wanna be a scuba diver,
Swim around in the muddy water.

Scuba diver, muddy water.
Airborne ranger, life of danger.

I wanna be an S.F. medic,
Shoot some funky anisthetic.

S.F.medic, anesthetic.
Scuba diver, muddy water.
Airborne ranger, guts and danger.

And when I retire.

Im gonna be a texas ranger,
Drive around in sking tight wranglers!

Texas ranger, skin tight wranglers.

Im gonna be a UPS man,
Drive around in a ugly brown van.

Ups man, ugly brown van
Texas ranger, skintight wranglers.

Im gonna be a forrest ranger.
Chipmunks are my greatest danger.

Forrest ranger, chipmunk danger.
UPS man, ugly brown van.
Forrest ranger, chipmunk danger.

Hail Hail Infantry

Wake up to a mortar attack
Hit the ground, I'm out of the rack
My sergeant rushes me off to chow
But I don't eat it anyhow

Refrain: Oh hail, Oh hail, Oh infantry
Queen of battle, follow me
Oh, airborne ranger's the life for me
For nothing in this world is free

From a big bird in the sky
All will jump and some will die
Off to battle we will go
To live or die, hell I don't know.

Hit the ground with American pride
A bullet through a commie's eye
He ought to be damn glad he died
He'd hate for me to take him alive

It's true that some of us will die
Airborne rangers learn to fly
But not today as I hit the ground
Lock and load another round

Early at night, it's drizzling rain
I am hit and feel no pain
But in my heart I have no fear
Because my Ranger God is near

Mortars and artillery
The screaming bursts around me
Jagged shrapnel on the fly
Kills my buddy, makes me cry

Over the hill, some men I've seen
Head to toe in Army green
Moving tactically, not a sound
Infantry soldiers on the ground

Assault, support are all in place
The enemy unaware of his fate
Claymores blast and 60's roar
Again, the airborne ranger scores

Its true that someday I'll be dead
Before I go I'll take more heads
Before us enemies all will flee
'Cause we're the airborne infantry

I'll never be in Infantry...

I'll never be in infantry
Queen of battle not for me
Chairborne, chairborne pogue I'll be Refrain
Staff platoon's the life for me.

Up in the morning, out of bed
Do some stretches, hit the head
Drink some coffee, settle down
Nothing like Columbian grounds.

From a desk I oversee
Typed reports and spilled coffee
Off to meetings I will go
Can I stay awake, Hell I don't know.

Early at night it's drizzling rain
I slip in the mud, I get a sprain
A purple heart they gave to me
What can I do for a D-S-C.

Armor and artillery
Are things I hear but never see
They frighten me and make too much noise
I'm scared of big old soldiers' toys.

Well dug in and over the hill
Is where I made and keep my still
Swilling hooch and playing cards
Is life for me and not too hard.

It's true that someday I'll be dead
With lots of gray hair on my head
It's hard to get a shot at me
Cause REMF is all I'll ever be.

Shoot, Shoot, Shoot...

I hear the choppers coming
They're flying overhead
They've come to get the wounded
They've come to get the dead

Refrain: Airborne (shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot to kill)
Ranger (shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot to kill) *

My buddy's in a foxhole
A bullet in his head
The Army says he's living
But I know that he's dead

I ran to tell the C-O
About my buddy's head
But when I got there
The C-O was dead

And now the battle's over
The smoke is all around
We wanted to go home
But we're six feet underground

Deep in a battlefield, covered in mud
Lies an Airborne Ranger dying in blood

Refrain: Airborne (shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot to kill)
Ranger (shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot to kill)

He fought to keep America free
He was a soldier like you and me

Those silver wing upon his chest
Tells America that he's one of the best

Old King Cole

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his Privates three.
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

(Chorus)

What merry men are we!
but none so fair that we can compare to the Airborne Infantry!

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his Corporals three.
I need a three day pass said the Corporal
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

(Chorus)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his Sergeants three.
Left right left said the Sergeant.
I need a three day pass said the Corporal
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

(Chorus)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his El Tee's three.
What do I do now? Said the El Tee.
Left right left said the Sergeant.
I need a three day pass said the Corporal
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

(Chorus)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his Captains three.
Who's gonna drive my Hummer? Said the Captain
What do I do now? Said the El Tee.
Left right left said the Sergeant.
I need a three day pass said the Corporal
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

(Chorus)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his Majors three.
I need a bigger desk said the major.
Who's gonna drive my Hummer? Said the Captain
What do I do now? Said the El Tee.
Left right left said the Sergeant.
I need a three day pass said the Corporal
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

(Chorus)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his Colonels three.
When can I play golf? Said the Colonel.
I need a bigger desk said the major.
Who's gonna drive my Hummer? Said the Captain.
What do I do now? Said the El Tee.
Left right left said the Sergeant.
I need a three day pass said the Corporal
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

(Chorus)

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
a merry old soul was he.
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his Generals three.
Keep those Privates straight! Said the Generals
When can I play golf? Said the Colonel.
I need a bigger desk said the major.
Who's gonna drive my Hummer? Said the Captain.
What do I do now? Said the El Tee.
Left right left said the Sergeant.
I need a three day pass said the Corporal
Beer! Beer! Beer! Said the Privates.

or the marching version:

Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he He called
for his pipe and called for his bowl and he called for his privates, three
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
But none so fair that they can compare to the airborne infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he He called
for his pipe and called for his bowl and he called for his corporals, three
I need a three-day pass said the corporals
Beer, beer, beer said the privates
Merry men are we
But none so fair that they can compare to the airborne infantry
* The cadence continues on in this manner, with a verse about a higher
= rank and repeating all of the ranks before. Eight verses are sung with
= these lyrics: (the cadet is added only if you want to)
privates three see above
corporals three see above
sergeants three "file from the left, column right said the Sgts"=
lieuies three (pronounced loo-ee) "I'll lead the way said the lieuies'
captains three "charge that hill said the captains"
majors three "who's gonna shine my boots said the majors"
colonels three "where's my star said the colonels"
generals three "war, war, war"
cadets three "when do I get my check?"

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Superman

Me and Superman got in a fight
I hit him in the head with some Kryptonite
I hit him so hard I busted his brain
And now I'm dating Lois Lane

Well, me and Batman, we had one, too
I hit him in the head with my left shoe
Right in the temple with my left heel
And now I'm driving the Batmobile hr>
A...A...MEN )
A...A.........MEN ) sung by the group
A...A...MEN AMEN AMEN )
sing it over )
sing it louder now )
sing it soft now )
real loud now ) sung by cadence caller between each line
real soft now )
Hallelujah! )
praise the Lord now )

Old Lady

I saw an old lady running down the street
Had a chute on her back, jump boots on her feet
Said, "Hey old lady, where you goin' to?"
She said, "US Army Airborne School"
Whatcha gonna do when you get there?
Jump from a plane and fall through the air
I said, "Hey old lady, ain't you been told?
Airborne School's for the brave and the bold."
She said, "Hey, now soldier, don't be a fool,
I'm an instructor at Airborne School!"

Saw an old lady marching down the road
Had a knife in her hand and a 90 lb. load
Said, "Hey old lady, where you goin' to?"
She said, "US Army Ranger School"
Whatcha gonna do when you get there?
Jump, swim, and kill without a care
I said, "Hey old lady, ain't you been told?
Ranger School's for the brave and the bold."
She said, "Hey, now soldier, don't be a fool,
I'm an instructor at Ranger School!"

Saw an old lady running down the track
Had fins on her feet and a tank on her back
Said, "Hey old lady, where you goin' to?"
She said, "US Army Scuba School"
Whatcha gonna do when you get there?
Swim under water and never breathe air
I said, "Hey old lady, ain't you been told?
Scuba School's for the brave and the bold."
She said, "Hey, now diver, don't be a fool,
I'm an instructor at Scuba School!"

Granny

When my granny was 91
She did PT just for fun
92
She did PT better than you
93
She did PT better than me
94
She did PT more and more
95
She did PT to stay alive
96
She kept on doing flutter-kicks
97
She up and died and went to heaven
She met St. Peter at the pearly gates
Said, "St. Peter, St. Peter, hope I'm not late
St. Peter said with a big ol' grin
"Get down granny, and knock out ten"
She replied with a big ol' smile
"Sorry, St. Peter, I'm on profile!"

Airborne

I don't know but I think I might
Jump from an airplane while in flight
Soldier, soldier, have you heard
I'm gonna jump from a big iron bird
Up in the morning in the drizzlin' rain
Packed my chute and boarded the plane
C-130 rollin' down the strip
64 Rangers on a one-way trip
Mission Top Secret, destination unknown
They don't know if their ever coming home
When my plane gets up so high
Airborne troopers gonna dance in the sky
Stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door
Jump right out and count to four
If my main don't open wide
I got a reserve by my side
If that one should fail me too
Look out ground, I'm a-coming through
If I die on the old drop zone
Box me up and ship me home
Bury speakers all around my head
So I can rock with the Grateful Dead
Bury speakers all around my toes
So I can rock with Axel Rose
If I die on a Chinese hill
Take my watch or the commies will
If I die in the Korean mud
Bury me with a case of Bud
Put my wings upon my chest
And tell my Mom I did my best

Letter in the Mail

Got a letter in the mail
Go to war or go to jail
Sat me in that barber's chair
Spun me around, I had no hair
Used to drive a Cadillac
Now I pack it on my back
Used to drive a limousine
Now I'm wearing Army green
Dress it right and cover down
Forty inches all around
Nine to the front and six to the rear
That's the way we do it here
Used to date a beauty queen
Now I date my M-16
Ain't no use in lookin' down
Ain't no discharge on the ground
Ain't no use in going back
Jody's got your Cadillac
Ain't no use in calling home
Jody's got your girl and gone
Ain't no use in feeling blue
Jody's got your sister too
Took away my faded jeans
Now I'm wearing Army greens
They took away my gin and rum
Now I'm up before the sun
Mama Mama can't you see
What this Army's done for me
Mama Mama can't you see
This Army life is killing me

In the Army

They say that in the Army, the chicken's mighty fine
One jumped off the table and started marking time
Refrain: Oh, Lord I wanna go
But they won't let me go (group ends this line with home,
stretched out over 8 paces, and a "Hey" on the right foot
to end the refrain)
They say that in the Army, the pay is mighty fine
They give you a hundred dollars and take back ninety-nine
They say that in the Army, the coffee's mighty fine
It looks like muddy water, and tastes like turpentine
They say that in the Army, the biscuits are mighty fine
One rolled off the table and killed a friend of mine
They say that in the Army, the meat is mighty fine
Last night we had ten puppies, this morning only nine
They say that in the Army, the shoes are mighty fine
You ask for size eleven, they give you size nine
They say that in the Army, the pancakes are mighty fine
You can try to chew them, but you're only wasting time
They say that in the Army, the bed's are mighty fine
But how the hell would I know, I've never slept in mine
They say that in the Army, the mail is so great
Today I got a letter dated 1948
They say that in the Army, the hours are just right
Start early in the morning and work on through the night
They say that in the Army, the buses are mighty fine
One went round the corner, and left three wheels behind
They say that in the Army, the coffee's mighty fine
It's good for cuts and bruises and tastes like iodine
They say that in the Army, the chicken's mighty fine
One jumped off the table and killed a friend of mine

[ndicki]

Those last ones are more like it. Still a bit warlike for my taste, though!

Talking of these things, it's interesting to do a little culture:

The Brits, and friends like the Rhodesians, sing songs which generally take the piss out of themselves and their abilities.
The Yanks sing songs which are often very gung-ho.
The French sing songs about leaving their loved ones and dying horribly in great torment.
The Germans sing songs about leaving their loved ones and inflicting great damage on the other lot opposite.
I'm not sure if the Italians have time or breath for singing...

[Medvedya]

Singing was very important in the RKKA, and probably the most famous song of the entire war was Katyusha.

I transliterated phonetically the lyrics some time ago so that you can sing along.

http://www.barynya.com/mp3/Katiusha.mp3

Rass svet tali yab blonee e grooshee,
Pop le le too manee nad rekoi
Vee hodeela na bereg Kata yusha
Na veesok kee na bereg, na krutoi

Vee hadeela, pesnoo zavo deela
Pra step nova sees sava ora la
Pra tava kata rovo loou beela
Pra tavo ch'i pis'ma beree eegla.

Oi, tee pesna, pes necka dev veecha,
Tee lyetee za yasnem sol yents svyled
I boits sooyou na dal nem po granee chee
Ot Katyoo shee peredai privyet

Pwoost' on vspomnit devooshku prost tooyu
Pwoost' oos leeshit' kak ona poyot.
Pwoost' on zemlyoou berez shyot rodnooyu
A lyoobov' Katyoosha sh beres shot.

Rass svet tali yab blonee e grooshee,
Pop le le too manee nad rekoi
Vee hodeela na bereg Kata yusha
Na veesok kee na bereg, na krutoi

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Cool good stuff.

[ndicki]

Got to admit, the RKKA/Soviet Army/Russian Army do do some very good shows... fantastic singing and spectacular dance routines!

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

And for us good old Army Aviation brothers:

"Above The Best"
High Above the Best, High Above the Best
We are Army Aviation U.S.A. proud and strong
We meet the test

Angels of mercy in a landing zone
Lifting up the wounded when the battle’s on
Skies filled with thunder
Wearing silver wings upon our chest
We meet the needs of ground command
As we aid the nation’s quest
Army Aviation flying High Above the Best!

Up into the sky
Up where eagles fly
We will defend our country never rest
America we give our best
We were there fighting in Korea
We were there in Vietnam
Whenever our country needs us
Wings of thunder carry on!

[P38 Pilot]

Awesome cadences Alder. Some of those are new to me.

Here's our moitivated chant:

Alpha, are you MOTIVATED?
Motivated, motivated, down right motivated!
Hoo-hah I wanna slap yo mamma!
Hoo-hah I wanna beat yo daddy!
Beat em with a stick, beat em with a stick
HOOAH!

Here's one I made up:

Hoo-hah you say "Who the hell are we?"
Hoo-hah, "wadda ya mean? Were Alpha Company!" (or JROTC)

[k9kiwi]

Don't muck around with a good old Kiwi Army haka.

General Rose was confronted by OPFOR Kiwis doing the Haka in Bos.

He stepped behind the Kiwi Colonel in suprise with the ferocity and display.

Can't remember his exact words afterwards but "I don't know about the enemy, but you just scared the P!ss out of me" is close enough.

[pbfoot]

The only cadence we had was some DI calling step and abusing those that messed up his work

[P38 Pilot]

Those last ones are more like it. Still a bit warlike for my taste, though!

Talking of these things, it's interesting to do a little culture:

The Brits, and friends like the Rhodesians, sing songs which generally take the piss out of themselves and their abilities.
The Yanks sing songs which are often very gung-ho.
The French sing songs about leaving their loved ones and dying horribly in great torment.
The Germans sing songs about leaving their loved ones and inflicting great damage on the other lot opposite.
I'm not sure if the Italians have time or breath for singing...

Hmmm... See why the French did so good in battle...

[ndicki]

"What the 'Ell do you think you are playing at, Sir, messing up my parade!" said the RSM...

[Medvedya]

"Sarge! There are only three kinds of Sarge in the British Army; Mas-sarge, saus-sarge, and pas-sarge! It is Staff or Sergeant!

Now try again before I mas-sarge my saus-sarge up your pas-sarge!"

Other one is "Sir! Don't call me Sir! I work for a living! It is Staff or Sergeant!"