Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest Revision - Oct. 7, 2022
This post showcases sound files of and (clean) text examples (lyrics) for the United States Military cadence "When My Granny Was 91". This cadence is also known as "My Granny", "My Great Grandmomma" and other similar titles.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
WARNING: The examples of military cadences in this post are "clean" ("family friendly").
However, many other examples of military cadences & many comments about military cadences that are found in the website links given below (particularly in the Wikipedia page on cadences and in many YouTube viewer comment threads), as well as in many other websites/blogs about military cadences often contain profanity, explicit sexual references, excessive violence, and other content which isn't suitable for children.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/08/information-about-examples-of-duckworth.html to find general information about United States military cadences
Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2012/03/yo-greasy-grimey-granny-black-talk-in_04.html for a pancocojams post on the children's chant "Yo Greasy Grimey Granny". That chant may have been composed from the "My Old Granny, She's 91" military cadence.
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GENERAL OVERVIEW OF "MY OLD GRANNY, SHE'S 91" CADENCE
"My Old Granny She's 91" is a running cadence which is composed of two line rhyming verses which are chanted in the standard call & response pattern. The verses to this cadence usually proceed in chronological order. The cadence begins with the grandmother at age 91 and usually ends with the grandmother being commanded by the archangel St Peter who guards Heaven's door [the Pearly Gates] to "drop ten" (do ten push ups).
The tune of this cadence is the same tune as the African American Old Time Music songs "Hambone" and "Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry".
The cadence "My Old Granny, She's 91" brags about the physical prowess, stamina, and tough attitude of an elderly grandmother.
The words to "My Old Granny, She's 91" are meant to encourage thee troops to complete their PT (physical training) since they wouldn't want to be bested by their elderly grandmother.
The grandmother's exaggerated physical feats is an example of the American folk custom of "telling tall tales" ("telling lies", "bragging contests"). Telling tall tales was a leisure time activity that Americans - Black, White, and other races - engaged in, particularly in the American Western frontier (in the 19th century) and in the rural areas of the American South (from the 19th century up to at least the mid 20th century).
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FEATURED VIDEOS AND LYRICS
(These examples are posted in chronological order based on their posting date with the oldest dated examples presented first. Unless otherwise noted, I transcribed these cadences' lyrics from the sound files (videos). Additions and corrections are welcome.
Note: There are many other examples of this cadence. Like other folk cultural compositions (songs, rhymes, cadences and other chants), the structure & tune of this cadence are relatively fixed, and some of the lines to this cadence have become standard. However, as long as the example conforms with the pattern & theme of the cadence, an example isn't considered wrong if it contains different words.
Example #1: Army Cadence - My Old Granny, She's 91
UnMotivated, Uploaded on Sep 19, 2008
-snip-
LYRICS: MY GRANNY’S 91
[Pancocojams Editor's Note Oct. 7, 2022: This sound file is no longer available. ]
(The "group" repeats each line that is chanted by the "caller".)
1, 2, 3, 4
1, 2, 3, 4
My old granny, she’s 91
She does PT just for fun
My old granny, she’s 92
Stand in her way, she’ll run you right through
My old granny. she’s ah 93
She does PT in a tree
My old granny, she’s ah 94
Knock down the walls and busted the door
My old granny’s she’s ah 95
She does PT and that’s no jive
When my old granny was ah 96
She done PT just for kicks
When my old granny was ah 97
She up and died and she went straight to heaven
She met St. Peter at the pearly gate
She said “Hey, St. Peter, I hope I ain’t late"
Saint Peter looked at her with a grin
He said “Get down Granny and knock down ten”
-snip-
Term Explanations & Other Notes
"That’s no jive" – that’s not a lie
"Knock down 10" - do ten push ups
Regarding the "ah" in lines such as "My old granny’s she’s ah 94" and "When my old granny was ah 97" - “Ah” is the way many African Americans informally pronounce the word “a”. However, in this cadence amd in many other cadences “ah” used this way is a rhythm enhancer and not a word.
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Example #2: Navy Running Cadences
MrRicoLove, Uploaded on May 8, 2010
-snip-
LYRICS
(The "group" repeats each line that is chanted by the "caller".)
My grand momma was 91
She does PT just for fun
But* when grand momma was s 92
She did PT better than you
When my grand momma was 93
She did PT better than me
She ran ten miles every day
Just ah hootin and ah hollerin all the way.
She said ah “Ooh!**
Ah!
Ooh ooh
ah ah
When my grand momma was 94
She PT’d to get out the door.
When my grand momma was 95
She did PT to stay alive
But* when my grand momma was 96
She did PT just for kicks
She ran ten miles every day
Just ah hootin and ah hollerin all the way.
She said ah “Ooh!**
Ah!
Ooh ooh
ah ah
When my grand momma was 97
She PT’d to get into heaven
She met St. Peter at the pearly gates
She said “St. Peter, St. Peter am I late”
St Peter replied with a big ole grin
He said “Drop down granny and give me ten”
She said “Hey hey
Alright
Hey hey
Out of sight
Hey hey
Feelin great
Gotta get
In shape
-snip-
Term Explanations & Other Notes
*The group omits the word “but”
** The group only says “Ooh”
Pt = physical training
"give me 10" - do ten push ups
"out of sight" = something that is exceptional (very good)
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Example #3: my grandmama was 92 (marine cadence)
Jellisrellish Uploaded on Jul 25, 2010
another maine cadence in the series. hope you enjoy.
-snip-
Pancocojams Editor's Note: Oct. 7, 2022
This sound file is no longer available.
Here's my transcription of those lyrics.
Note: The platoon repeats each line that is chanted by the "caller".
My grand mama was ah 92
She used to PT like ah me and you
My grand mama was ah 96
She did her PT just for kicks
My grand mama was ah 107
Well, the poor girl died and she went to heaven
My grandmamma was ah 98
She went side-straddle hoppin' through the pearly gates
My grandmamma was ah 109
She had oh JC double and dime*
Lo righta layo
ah left right alayo
-snip-
*I'm not sure if I correctly transcribed these word.
-snip-
Here's another version of this cadence which was posted by Nathan Posey (2012) on that sound file’s comment thread:
When my Grandmama was 91,
she did PT just for fun
When my Grandmama was 92,
she did PT better than you
When my Grandmama was 93,
she did PT better than me
When my Grandmama was 94,
she did PT more n' more
When my Grandmama was 95
she did PT to stay alive
When my Grandmama was 96
she did PT just for kicks
When my Grandmama was 97
she up and died she went to heaven
When my Grandmama was 98
she met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates.
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Example #4:
From http://www.tulane.edu/~afrotc/jodie.htm "air force rotc Jodie Page"
My Granny...
When my granny was 91
She did PT just for fun
When my granny was 92
She did PT better than you
When my granny was 93
She did PT better than me
When my granny was 94
She did PT more and more
When my granny was 95
She did PT to stay alive
When my granny was 96
She kept on doing flutter-kicks
When my granny was 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!"
-snip-
"on profile" = "personel who can't participate in reegular physical fitness training because of an injury or other physical condition/s. http://community.armystudyguide.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/6151093521/m/2941098352/p/2
Generally speaking, persons in the armed services don't want to be "on profile" ("profiled").
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Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos. Thanks also to the publishers of these videos on YouTube and those who I quoted in this post. And thanks to the dedicated and motivated members of the United States armed services.
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