Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases an example of the United States Marine Corp cadence "Chesty Puller Said Before He Died".
Information about Chesty Puller is also included in this post.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2014/05/chesty-puller-was-good-marine-marine.html for a pancocojams post that features an example of the Marine Corp cadence "Chesty Puller Was A Good Marine".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to the military corps men and women who honorably serve this country. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and those who are who are featured in this YouTube sound file.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not sure who was the first person to compose this cadence. I'm also not sure when this cadence was first chanted. By featuring this cadence on this blog, I don't mean to imply that it definitely was composed by African Americans.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT CHESTY PULLER
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesty_Puller
"Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller (June 26, 1898 – October 11, 1971) was a retired United States Marine Corps general officer. He is one of the most decorated members of the Marine Corps and is the only Marine to be awarded five Navy Crosses. He fought guerrillas in Haiti and Nicaragua, and participated in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II and the Korean War. Puller retired from the Marine Corps in 1955 and spent the rest of his life living in Virginia…
Puller remains a well-known figure in U.S. Marine Corps folklore, with both true and exaggerated tales of his experiences being constantly recounted among U.S. Marines...
A common incantation in U.S. Marine Corps boot camp is to end one's day with the declaration, "Good night, Chesty Puller, wherever you are!"[16] Another common encouragement is "Chesty Puller never quit!"
In U.S. Marine Corps recruit training and OCS cadences, Marines chant "It was good for Chesty Puller/And it's good enough for me" as well as "Tell Chesty Puller I did my best."—Chesty is symbolic of the esprit de corps of the Marines. Also, the recruits sing "Chesty Puller was a good Marine and a good Marine was he."
-snip-
I've read that Lieutenant General Puller was given the nickname "Chesty" because of his barrel chest and his upright posture.
****
SHOWCASE SOUND FILE - Chesty Puller Said Before He Died
Hard Corp Cadences
Hard Corp Cadences, Published on Aug 22, 2015
-snip-
The video that was initially used for this post is no longer available (as of at least May 25, 2017). That
video was entitled Marine Corps Cadence Chesty Puller Said Before He Died (With Lyrics) and was posted by
TheCrazySweed on Apr 17, 2009.
Here are the lyrics that were included in that summary (which appear to be the same as this sound file that I've added on May 25, 2017:
Chesty Puller said before he died (Chesty Puller said before he died)
There was 5 things that he wanted to ride. (There was 5 things that he wanted to ride)
Tricycle, bicycle, automobile (Tricycle, bicycle, automobile)
A bow legged pony on a ferris wheel. ( A bow legged pony on a ferris wheel.)
I said tricycle bicycle (Tricycle, Bicycle)
Automobile. (Automobile)
A bow legged pony (A bow legged pony)
On a ferris wheel. (On a ferris wheel)
Born in a shelter half at Camp Lejeune (Born in a shelter half at Camp Lejeune)
Raised on C-rats and plastic spoons (Raised on C-rats and plastic spoons)
Cussing and a-fussing and a-fightin' all day (Cussing and a-fussing and a-fightin' all day)
Cause we know no other way (Cause we know no other way)
Sayin lo right-a lay-a (lo right-a lay-a)
Your left right a lay-o (Your left right a lay-o)
Lo right lay-o (Lo right lay-o)
Left right left (Left right left)
-snip-
These lyrics were reformatted for this post.
"C-rats" = C-rations
-snip-
*I received a comment from TSpirit 88-96 on May 25, 2017 who indicated that the correct line is "a bow legged woman on a ferris wheel". I hear "bow legged pony on a ferris wheel in the sound file given above, but I'm not surprised that some versions of this cadence have the words "bow legged woman".
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Showing posts with label military cadences with the word layo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label military cadences with the word layo. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Mamma Told Johnny Not to Go Downtown (USMC Cadence with lyrics)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases the United States Marine Corp cadence "Mama Told Johnny Not To Go Downtown".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to the military corps men and women who honorably serve this country. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and those who are who are featured in this YouTube sound file.
****
COMMENTS AND LYRICS
From http://songsyoushouldknowbutprobablydont.blogspot.com/2010/10/mamma-told-johnny-not-to-go-down-town.html Malibu, October 30, 2010
..."Navy OCS [Officer Candidate School) is not only run by Marine Corps Drill Instructors, but the best ones they have.
..."When we'd run cadence, feet hitting the ground every 3/4 of a second with precision screaming about killing someone halfway around the world...you really felt like you could take on the world; and win...
Some of them are funny, others are terribly motivating but there is one in particular that is quite beautiful, and in this version one can actually hear the emotion of the Drill Instructor's voice while he and the men chant is moving down the road. In its entirety: (The first verse is interwoven after every verse)
Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Righty, Lo Righty, Lo Righty Lefta
Mamma told Johnny not to go downtown
The Marine Corps recruiter was hanging around;
But Johnny went downtown anyway
To hear what the recruiter had to say
The recruiter asked Johnny what he wanted to be
Johnny said I wanna join the infantry.
So Johnny caught a plane out to Vietnam,
To fight some people called the Viet Cong.
Killed a hundred men with his rifle and blade,
Only god knows how many lives he saved.
Johnny was bad and he was brave,
Johnny jumped on a hand grenade.
Saved the lives of the men he led,
But now poor Johnny he was dead.
Before he died this is what he said,
To tell his momma when he was dead
Momma, momma, don't u cry,
The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fi.
Singin' Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Righty, Lo Righty, Lo Righty Lefta
It is beautiful, touching and it almost makes me cry every time I listen to it. I think about Johnny's mom crying over his grave when she is handed a folded flag. About the Honor Guard firing three times in precision. About how that took place countless times throughout the years."...
-snip-
Added May 30, 2017:
This may be the standard words that are used for the Marine Corps cadence "Mama told Johnny not to go downtown". However, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agiNqNXRol0 for a US Army version of this cadence which has very similar words.
Here's a comment exchange from that sound file's discussion thread:
"YakuzaYue, 2016
"Wasn't this orgianlly a Marine Corps cadence?"
**
Reply
Jake H, 2016
"YakuzaYue they are all interchangeable.. every service has their own version of almost any Jodie you can think of these days"
Also, on May 29, 2017 (Memorial Day} when I searched pancocojams for military cadences that I had featured, I revisited this post and realized the initial video was no longer available. When I went to YouTube looking for another video of this cadence to embed in this post, I happened upon this much longer version of that cadence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cADYu1qruHI which was published in 2013 by Danny Brandt and credited to TheScribe114 on YouTube. The Scribe144" wrote a comment in this video's discussion thread identifying himself as MSgt McCants USMC Ret. and indicating that he "Wrote this back in 1988 in Okinawa at 9th MTBN." The photograph with The Scribe144's comment is of a Black man.
I plan to showcase that version in a separate pancocojams post and I'll add that link to this post. However, for the folkloric record, I'll note here that TheScribe114's version of "Mama Told Johnny Not To Go Downtown" includes a number of strung together couplets (two line rhyming or near rhyming verses) in addition to some of the standard words for that cadence. Here's an excerpt of that version of "Johnny Told Mama Not To Go Downtown" (The verses are written with three couplets strung together in each of the verses.)
[...]
"Got a steer and his name was Jake
Tuesday he was burgers on Wednesday he was steak
Grinding my ka-bar in the barn
while my donkey runs the farm
bare with me 'cause this may sound sick
Gotta strip out some baby chicks
Me and my donkey gonna take a little trip
The Colonel's in need of some Crispy strips
lo righty lo righty lo righty lo
lefty right a lo, here we go"
[...]
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: MAMA Told johnny not to go downtown
MrIlovecallofdutymw2, Uploaded on Dec 17, 2010
-snip-
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases the United States Marine Corp cadence "Mama Told Johnny Not To Go Downtown".
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
Thanks to the military corps men and women who honorably serve this country. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and those who are who are featured in this YouTube sound file.
****
COMMENTS AND LYRICS
From http://songsyoushouldknowbutprobablydont.blogspot.com/2010/10/mamma-told-johnny-not-to-go-down-town.html Malibu, October 30, 2010
..."Navy OCS [Officer Candidate School) is not only run by Marine Corps Drill Instructors, but the best ones they have.
..."When we'd run cadence, feet hitting the ground every 3/4 of a second with precision screaming about killing someone halfway around the world...you really felt like you could take on the world; and win...
Some of them are funny, others are terribly motivating but there is one in particular that is quite beautiful, and in this version one can actually hear the emotion of the Drill Instructor's voice while he and the men chant is moving down the road. In its entirety: (The first verse is interwoven after every verse)
Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Righty, Lo Righty, Lo Righty Lefta
Mamma told Johnny not to go downtown
The Marine Corps recruiter was hanging around;
But Johnny went downtown anyway
To hear what the recruiter had to say
The recruiter asked Johnny what he wanted to be
Johnny said I wanna join the infantry.
So Johnny caught a plane out to Vietnam,
To fight some people called the Viet Cong.
Killed a hundred men with his rifle and blade,
Only god knows how many lives he saved.
Johnny was bad and he was brave,
Johnny jumped on a hand grenade.
Saved the lives of the men he led,
But now poor Johnny he was dead.
Before he died this is what he said,
To tell his momma when he was dead
Momma, momma, don't u cry,
The Marine Corps motto is Semper Fi.
Singin' Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Right, Lo Right, Leeeeefta
Lo Righty, Lo Righty, Lo Righty Lefta
It is beautiful, touching and it almost makes me cry every time I listen to it. I think about Johnny's mom crying over his grave when she is handed a folded flag. About the Honor Guard firing three times in precision. About how that took place countless times throughout the years."...
-snip-
Added May 30, 2017:
This may be the standard words that are used for the Marine Corps cadence "Mama told Johnny not to go downtown". However, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agiNqNXRol0 for a US Army version of this cadence which has very similar words.
Here's a comment exchange from that sound file's discussion thread:
"YakuzaYue, 2016
"Wasn't this orgianlly a Marine Corps cadence?"
**
Reply
Jake H, 2016
"YakuzaYue they are all interchangeable.. every service has their own version of almost any Jodie you can think of these days"
Also, on May 29, 2017 (Memorial Day} when I searched pancocojams for military cadences that I had featured, I revisited this post and realized the initial video was no longer available. When I went to YouTube looking for another video of this cadence to embed in this post, I happened upon this much longer version of that cadence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cADYu1qruHI which was published in 2013 by Danny Brandt and credited to TheScribe114 on YouTube. The Scribe144" wrote a comment in this video's discussion thread identifying himself as MSgt McCants USMC Ret. and indicating that he "Wrote this back in 1988 in Okinawa at 9th MTBN." The photograph with The Scribe144's comment is of a Black man.
I plan to showcase that version in a separate pancocojams post and I'll add that link to this post. However, for the folkloric record, I'll note here that TheScribe114's version of "Mama Told Johnny Not To Go Downtown" includes a number of strung together couplets (two line rhyming or near rhyming verses) in addition to some of the standard words for that cadence. Here's an excerpt of that version of "Johnny Told Mama Not To Go Downtown" (The verses are written with three couplets strung together in each of the verses.)
[...]
"Got a steer and his name was Jake
Tuesday he was burgers on Wednesday he was steak
Grinding my ka-bar in the barn
while my donkey runs the farm
bare with me 'cause this may sound sick
Gotta strip out some baby chicks
Me and my donkey gonna take a little trip
The Colonel's in need of some Crispy strips
lo righty lo righty lo righty lo
lefty right a lo, here we go"
[...]
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLE: MAMA Told johnny not to go downtown
MrIlovecallofdutymw2, Uploaded on Dec 17, 2010
-snip-
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
"Everywhere We Go" (Marine Corp cadence videos, lyrics, & comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases United States Marine Corps examples of the running cadence "Everywhere We Go".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/11/non-military-examples-of-everywhere-we.html for a post of non-military examples of "Everywhere We Go".
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/2013/11/13-weeks-of-misery-usmc-cadence-with.html to read my comments about African American cultural elements in many military cadences.
****
COMMENT ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF MILITARY CADENCES
This comment is from a viewer comment thread for a sound file of the military cadence "Ain't no use in looking down":
cliffitir, 2012
"The point of a cadence is to keep the pace and to keep your mind occupied while on long forced marches."
****
TEXT EXAMPLE OF "EVERYWHERE I GO" (United States Marine Corps
version with notes)
(Double Time Cadence)
Everywhere we go-oh, Everywhere we go-oh.
People wanna know-oh, People wanna know-oh.
Who we are, Who we are.
So we tell them, So we tell them.
24, 24.
24, 24.
Motivated, Motivated.
Dedicated, Dedicated.
Dedicated, Dedicated.
Motivated, Motivated.
A-lo righta lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft.
A-lo righta layy-eft, Lo righta layy-eft.
Here we go, Here we go.
All the way, All the way.
Here we go, Here we go.
Make it hurt, Make it hurt.
Make it hurt, Make it hurt.
Yeah, Yeah.
Yeah, Yeah.
Drill instructor can’t you see, Drill instructor can’t you see.
A-Come on out and a-motivate me, A-Come on out and motivate me.
Take it on the left foot, Take it on the left foot.
Mighty Mighty Left foot, Mighty Mighty Left foot.
Take it, Take it.
I Got it, I Got it.
Lo righta lay-eft, Lo righta lay-eft.
A-Lefty righta lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft.
A-Lo right lay-eft, Lo right lay-eft.
Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah.
Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah.
Here We Go, Here We Go.
Here We Go, Here We Go.
Guide-on Guide-on in the sky, Guide-on Guide-on in the sky.
Show the world whos a-runnin’ on by, Show the world whos runnin’ on by.
A-1024 Now, 1024 Now.
Best on the Island, Best on the Island.
A-Best in the company, Best in the company.
A-Best in the Island,Best in the Island.
-------------------------------------------
Standard Notations:
Words in italics are the unit response to the DI's call.
The notation "A-" or "a-" denotes the chopped DI sound similar to "uh" making it more of a run-on to the following word, thus the reason for the hyphen.
From SRT Sniper, Marine http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?10271-Cadence-time!!!/page7, 07-15-06, 02:19 PM#91
-snip-
"Best on the island" refers to Parris Island, "the site of Marine Corps recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915." [Parris Island Wikipedia page]
"A-Lo right lay-eft" means "left right left" [All cadences start with the left foot.]
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(These examples are posted in chronological order based on their posting date with the oldest dated examples presented first.
Note: There are many other examples of this military cadence from the USMC and from other branches of the United States military. The structure & tune of this cadence are relatively fixed, and some of the lines to this cadence have become standard. However a version of this cadence isn't considered wrong if it contains different words, as long as that version conforms with the pattern & theme of the cadence.
Example #1: MARINE CORPS CADENCE- EVERY WHERE WE GO
.
bgft, Uploaded on Oct 31, 2008
-snip-
Transcription*
[The squad repeats each line after the caller chants it.]
We’re motivated
We’re dedicated
Aha
Yah ha
Everywhere we go,
People wanna know,
Who we are,
Where we come from
We come from an island
a Motivated island.
We come from an island
a Motivated island.
They call that island
Paris island
They call that island
Parris island
It ain’t like the army
At Fort Jackson.
It ain’t like the navy
Down in Florida
It ain’t no fly boy
Over in Texas
Woah oh Woah oh
Woah oh oh oh oh oh
Woah oh Woah oh
Woah oh oh oh oh oh
Parris island
There ain’t no other
And on that island
There is sand
But it’s gonna make
Make ah man.
Woah oh woah oh
Woah oh oh oh oh oh
Woah oh woah oh
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
Ah ha
Here we go
Motivated
Motivated
Shoo sha
Ah ha
Harder than ah nail
Oh yeah
Here we go
Motivated
Dedicated
To the Corps
Your Corps
Your Corps
Your Corps
-snip-
*Transcription by Azizi Powell. Additions & corrections are welcome.
Click
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Recruit_Depot_Parris_Island for information about Parris Island.
****
Example #2: Marine Corps Cadence - "Everywhere We Go"
TheCrazySweed, Uploaded on Nov 11, 2010
-snip-
Transcription*
[The squad repeats each line after the caller chants it.}
Everywhere we go,
People wanna know,
ah Who we are,
So we tell them,
We're the boys from 47 you heard so much about,
ah Momma take their daughters in whenever we go out
FEELS GOOD
SOUNDS GOOD
HA-HA,
Ah You can take a look at us and see we're MOTIVATED
Ah You can take a look at us you know we're DEDICATED
Ah Lo righta lay-eft
Ah Lefty righta lay-eft
Ah Lo righta lay-eft
Ah Left righta lay-eft
A Lo-righta lay-eft
I love to double time
When I say Marine you say Corp
Marine
Corps
Marine
Corps
Ah Lo righta lay-eft
Ah Lefty righta lay-eft,
Ah Lo righta lay-eft,
Ah Left righta lay-eft
A Lo-righta lay-eft,
I love to double time
-snip-
*Transcription by Azizi Powell. Additions & corrections are welcome.
****
RELATED LINK
Click http://www.squad-leader.com/cadence/everywhere-we-go/ for two clean versions of the United States Navy's version of "Everywhere I gO".
****
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.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases United States Marine Corps examples of the running cadence "Everywhere We Go".
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/11/non-military-examples-of-everywhere-we.html for a post of non-military examples of "Everywhere We Go".
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/2013/11/13-weeks-of-misery-usmc-cadence-with.html to read my comments about African American cultural elements in many military cadences.
****
COMMENT ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF MILITARY CADENCES
This comment is from a viewer comment thread for a sound file of the military cadence "Ain't no use in looking down":
cliffitir, 2012
"The point of a cadence is to keep the pace and to keep your mind occupied while on long forced marches."
****
TEXT EXAMPLE OF "EVERYWHERE I GO" (United States Marine Corps
version with notes)
(Double Time Cadence)
Everywhere we go-oh, Everywhere we go-oh.
People wanna know-oh, People wanna know-oh.
Who we are, Who we are.
So we tell them, So we tell them.
24, 24.
24, 24.
Motivated, Motivated.
Dedicated, Dedicated.
Dedicated, Dedicated.
Motivated, Motivated.
A-lo righta lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft.
A-lo righta layy-eft, Lo righta layy-eft.
Here we go, Here we go.
All the way, All the way.
Here we go, Here we go.
Make it hurt, Make it hurt.
Make it hurt, Make it hurt.
Yeah, Yeah.
Yeah, Yeah.
Drill instructor can’t you see, Drill instructor can’t you see.
A-Come on out and a-motivate me, A-Come on out and motivate me.
Take it on the left foot, Take it on the left foot.
Mighty Mighty Left foot, Mighty Mighty Left foot.
Take it, Take it.
I Got it, I Got it.
Lo righta lay-eft, Lo righta lay-eft.
A-Lefty righta lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft.
A-Lo right lay-eft, Lo right lay-eft.
Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah.
Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah.
Here We Go, Here We Go.
Here We Go, Here We Go.
Guide-on Guide-on in the sky, Guide-on Guide-on in the sky.
Show the world whos a-runnin’ on by, Show the world whos runnin’ on by.
A-1024 Now, 1024 Now.
Best on the Island, Best on the Island.
A-Best in the company, Best in the company.
A-Best in the Island,Best in the Island.
-------------------------------------------
Standard Notations:
Words in italics are the unit response to the DI's call.
The notation "A-" or "a-" denotes the chopped DI sound similar to "uh" making it more of a run-on to the following word, thus the reason for the hyphen.
From SRT Sniper, Marine http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?10271-Cadence-time!!!/page7, 07-15-06, 02:19 PM#91
-snip-
"Best on the island" refers to Parris Island, "the site of Marine Corps recruit training since Nov. 1, 1915." [Parris Island Wikipedia page]
"A-Lo right lay-eft" means "left right left" [All cadences start with the left foot.]
****
FEATURED VIDEOS
(These examples are posted in chronological order based on their posting date with the oldest dated examples presented first.
Note: There are many other examples of this military cadence from the USMC and from other branches of the United States military. The structure & tune of this cadence are relatively fixed, and some of the lines to this cadence have become standard. However a version of this cadence isn't considered wrong if it contains different words, as long as that version conforms with the pattern & theme of the cadence.
Example #1: MARINE CORPS CADENCE- EVERY WHERE WE GO
.
bgft, Uploaded on Oct 31, 2008
-snip-
Transcription*
[The squad repeats each line after the caller chants it.]
We’re motivated
We’re dedicated
Aha
Yah ha
Everywhere we go,
People wanna know,
Who we are,
Where we come from
We come from an island
a Motivated island.
We come from an island
a Motivated island.
They call that island
Paris island
They call that island
Parris island
It ain’t like the army
At Fort Jackson.
It ain’t like the navy
Down in Florida
It ain’t no fly boy
Over in Texas
Woah oh Woah oh
Woah oh oh oh oh oh
Woah oh Woah oh
Woah oh oh oh oh oh
Parris island
There ain’t no other
And on that island
There is sand
But it’s gonna make
Make ah man.
Woah oh woah oh
Woah oh oh oh oh oh
Woah oh woah oh
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh
Ah ha
Here we go
Motivated
Motivated
Shoo sha
Ah ha
Harder than ah nail
Oh yeah
Here we go
Motivated
Dedicated
To the Corps
Your Corps
Your Corps
Your Corps
-snip-
*Transcription by Azizi Powell. Additions & corrections are welcome.
Click
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_Corps_Recruit_Depot_Parris_Island for information about Parris Island.
****
Example #2: Marine Corps Cadence - "Everywhere We Go"
TheCrazySweed, Uploaded on Nov 11, 2010
-snip-
Transcription*
[The squad repeats each line after the caller chants it.}
Everywhere we go,
People wanna know,
ah Who we are,
So we tell them,
We're the boys from 47 you heard so much about,
ah Momma take their daughters in whenever we go out
FEELS GOOD
SOUNDS GOOD
HA-HA,
Ah You can take a look at us and see we're MOTIVATED
Ah You can take a look at us you know we're DEDICATED
Ah Lo righta lay-eft
Ah Lefty righta lay-eft
Ah Lo righta lay-eft
Ah Left righta lay-eft
A Lo-righta lay-eft
I love to double time
When I say Marine you say Corp
Marine
Corps
Marine
Corps
Ah Lo righta lay-eft
Ah Lefty righta lay-eft,
Ah Lo righta lay-eft,
Ah Left righta lay-eft
A Lo-righta lay-eft,
I love to double time
-snip-
*Transcription by Azizi Powell. Additions & corrections are welcome.
****
RELATED LINK
Click http://www.squad-leader.com/cadence/everywhere-we-go/ for two clean versions of the United States Navy's version of "Everywhere I gO".
****
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.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
My Old Granny, She's 91 (military cadence videos, lyrics, & notes)
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.
****
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).
****
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.
***
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)
****
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.
****
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").
****
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.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
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.
****
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).
****
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.
***
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)
****
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.
****
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").
****
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.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
"13 Weeks Of Misery" USMC Cadence (with lyrics)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This post showcases a sound file of and lyrics for the United States Marine Corps cadence "13 Weeks Of Misery". This post also includes several comments that I found online about the meaning of the word "layo" in military cadences.
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.
****
OVERVIEW ABOUT "13 WEEKS OF MISERY"
"13 Weeks Of Misery" is a [United States Marine Corps] USMC cadence that is part of the sub-genre of United States drill cadences whose subject is the a person's recruiting & boot camp experience. Although I have found a few other cadences that include lines from "13 Weeks Of Misery"*, I've yet to find any variant examples of that particular cadence. Misery".
If there are fixed words and therefore a fixed length to "13 Weeks Of Misery" [unless that cadence is combined in whole or in part with other cadences], that would distinguish it from all other United States drill cadences that I'm aware of.
By showcasing this particular cadence on pancocojams, which is a blog that focuses on African American & other Black music & dance, I'm not stating or implying that "13 Weeks Of Misery" was composed by someone who is Black. I know nothing about the composer/s of this cadence.
I'm posting "13 Weeks Of Misery" because I like it. I'm also highlighting this cadence because it appears to be quite different from other United States cadences that I've found. What I mean by that is "13 Weeks Of Misery" is a cadence that tells a story which is meant to be given in its entirety. However, other cadences are made up of stringing together two line rhyming lines which aren't necessarily related to each other and which don't necessarily follow each other in sequential order.
Most United States military cadences may be considered part of the African American music in that the modern custom of performing United States military drill cadences began with an African American -Private Willie Duckworth, and all drill cadences have a call & response pattern that is characteristic of many African & African Diaspora music genres. Also, many United States military cadences have African American words, phrases, and/or expressions from vernacular African American English, references to African American folk characters such as "Jodie", and/or "African American" music titles or names of "Black" social dances. For instance, there are numerous versions of the drill cadence "Fired Up Feels Good". And most of those versions that I've come across have multiple African American cultural elements.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/11/fired-up-feels-good-military-cadence.html for a post about the cadence "Fired Up Feels Good". That post also includes some general information about military cadences. But, in contrast, the USMC cadence "13 Weeks Of Misery" has none of these apparent African American elements except its call & response pattern.
*Some examples of cadences that contain lines from "13 Weeks Of Misery" are found in the Addendum to this post.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO
United States Marine Corps Cadence - 13 Weeks Of Misery!
Dominic DeAngelo,Published on Aug 12, 2012
A Marine Corps Cadence called 13 Weeks Of Misery. I would like to thank all of you brave men and women out there who have or are still currently serving. Thank you and God Bless you and your families. Get home safe!
-snip-
Another video of this same recording is found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J09Km2hej5c:
ljoshua88, a commenter from that video's viewer comment thread indicatess that "this is a marching cadence, motivation runs are more fast paced cadence".
****
LYRICS- 13 WEEKS OF MISERY
These lyrics are transcribed from subtitles* that are posted in the video that is embedded below.
Each line that the Caller chants is exactly repeated by the unit.
USMC Cadence - 13 Weeks of Misery (W/ Lyrics)
Matthew Runyon, Published on Jan 10, 2013
"Another USMC cadence. Thanks for watching.
*** Fixes courtesy of halomerc5423 ***"
*The “A-low right a-layo”* words were represented by the words “Cadence calling”.
Cadence calling:
A-low right a-layo
A-lefty right a-layo
A-low right a-layo
A-lefty right a-low
A-low right a-layo
A-lefty right a-layo
A-low right a-lefty right
A-lefty right a-low
13 weeks of misery
13 weeks of hell.
I was living in the city,
a working every day.
Until a man in blue,
happened to come my way.
I signed my name upon the dotted line.
Packed all my trash,
got on the plane.
All to serve my time…
Cadence calling
They sent me to an island,
of where they made Marines.
They said “1000 boys may come,
but only men may leave.”
They issued all my gear --
combat boots and skivvy shirts.
In a few short hours,
they had me in the dirt.
My drill instructor,
he trained me rough and hard.
He taught me how to fight;
he taught me how to march.
Cadence calling
In three short months,
as long as it has seemed
I finally had earned,
the title of Marine.
How well do I remember,
my graduation day.
As I left I swore,
I wouldn’t be back this way.
I went to my drill instructors,
and gave to them my hand.
I thanked them for their time.
They made this boy a man.
Cadence calling
I served my time proudly out in the FMF.
But back at Parris Island
There was something I felt I left.
So I’m back a second time.
A smokey in my hand,
training US Marine recruits,
the very best I can.
I found out what I lost,
in the very end --
The making of Marines,
down where it all began.
Cadence calling
****
WHAT LAYO MEANS
From http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-96031.html
asherdasher114 05-26-10, 04:33 PM
..."What is a 'layo'? (not sure if that is the correct spelling) Every cadence seems to start with 'left right layo, left right layo, low right layo, lefty right low'. So, I thought I would pose the question to the Marines on this forum... What is a layo? Have cadences always started with this sequence, or did layo form from another word over time?
**
Response from same blog thread:
Rocky C 05-26-10, 05:12 PM
"Got it for you!!!
All Military Steps Either Walking, Marching, Running starts with the left foot.
Example Cadence; Left Right Layo, Lefty Right Layo.
LAYO.
Left
And
Your
Off
There you go........."
****
Note that in drill cadences the words “layo” and “low” mean “left [foot]”.
****
EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE USE OF "A" IN MILITARY CADENCES
From http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-10271.html posted by SRT Sniper 07-15-06, 02:19 PM
"The notation "A-" or "a-" denotes the chopped DI sound similar to "uh" making it more of a run-on to the following word, thus the reason for the hyphen."
-snip-
"DI"="Drill instructor"
****
ADDENDUM: OTHER CADENCES THAT INCLUDE A LINE FROM "13 WEEKS OF MISERY" [I'm not sure about the titles of these examples.]
Example #1:
Suzy said to me one day long ago.
She said honey please dont join the Corps.
They like to do nothing but fuss n fight.
N they look kinda wierd with those high n tights.
They got bad table manners and they are so crude.
They got a warm sense of humor and their jokes are rude.
I said suzy let me tell ya what ill do.
Ill join the corps just for a year or two.
I packed my trash and I headed to the plane.
I went to the place where they made Marines.
Parris Island was the name of the place.
The first thing I saw was the drill instructors face.
He had razor creases and a smokey bear.
Mountain climbin recruits everywhere.
O yeah
Well suzy said its me or the Corps.
I cant take this life anymore.
I looked at suzy with a big ol' grin
I havnt seen suzy since I dont know when.
-proachbass91, http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-10271.html, 11-12-06, 03:42 PM
**
Example #2:
Oh-yeah
Here we go
I used to sit at home all day,
Letting my life a waste away.
Then one day a man in blue,
Said son I got a job for you,
Theres travel and adventure and loads of fun,
And well even teach you how to shoot a gun.
Theres room and board and a plate of food,
And a brand new tailored business suit.
I used to drive a Bonneville,
Now all I do is run up a hill.
I used to drive a Chevrolet,
Now all I do is sleep in the hay.
I used to drive a Cadillac,
Now all I do is hump a pack.
-Kurby494, http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-10271.html, 06-19-07, 02:42 PM
**
Example #3:
Oh theres a place where Marines are made,
Yellin and a runnin day to day.
Mean DI's makin fighting machines,
They take boys and make them mean.
Get up in the mornin in the drizzle and rain,
Run all day till you feel the pain.
This is the place that God forgot,
Sand is deep and the sun is hot.
It's as fierce as your Drill Instructors face,
Parris Island is the name of this place
I used to sit at home all day,
Letting my life a waste away.
Then one day a man in blue,
Said son I got a job for you,
Theres travel and adventure and loads of fun,
And well even teach you how to shoot a gun.
Theres room and board and a plate of food,
And a brand new tailored business suit.
I used to drive a Bonneville,
Now all I do is run up a hill.
I used to drive a Chevrolet,
Now all I do is sleep in the hay.
I used to drive a Cadillac,
Now all I do is hump a pack.
Suzie said to me one day long ago,
Honey please dont join the Corps.
They like to do nothing but fuss and fight,
They look at women like they're high and tight.
They got poor table manners and they are so crude,
They got a board's sense of humor and they are so rude.
I said Suzie let me tell you what I'll do,
I'll join the Corps just for a year or two.
So I packed my trash and I headed for the plane,
I went to the place where they made Marines.
Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah
Parris Island was the name of the place,
The first thing I saw was a Drill Instructors face.
Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah
He had razor creases and a Smoky Bear,
Mountain climbing recruits everywhere
Suzie said it's me or the Corps,
I cant take this life anymore.
I looked at her with a big ol grin,
I haven't seen Suzie since I dont know when.
Oh Yeah
Take it
I got it
-snip-
I'm not sure if these examples pre-date "13 Weeks Of Misery" or were composed after that boot camp story/cadence.
****
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.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This post showcases a sound file of and lyrics for the United States Marine Corps cadence "13 Weeks Of Misery". This post also includes several comments that I found online about the meaning of the word "layo" in military cadences.
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.
****
OVERVIEW ABOUT "13 WEEKS OF MISERY"
"13 Weeks Of Misery" is a [United States Marine Corps] USMC cadence that is part of the sub-genre of United States drill cadences whose subject is the a person's recruiting & boot camp experience. Although I have found a few other cadences that include lines from "13 Weeks Of Misery"*, I've yet to find any variant examples of that particular cadence. Misery".
If there are fixed words and therefore a fixed length to "13 Weeks Of Misery" [unless that cadence is combined in whole or in part with other cadences], that would distinguish it from all other United States drill cadences that I'm aware of.
By showcasing this particular cadence on pancocojams, which is a blog that focuses on African American & other Black music & dance, I'm not stating or implying that "13 Weeks Of Misery" was composed by someone who is Black. I know nothing about the composer/s of this cadence.
I'm posting "13 Weeks Of Misery" because I like it. I'm also highlighting this cadence because it appears to be quite different from other United States cadences that I've found. What I mean by that is "13 Weeks Of Misery" is a cadence that tells a story which is meant to be given in its entirety. However, other cadences are made up of stringing together two line rhyming lines which aren't necessarily related to each other and which don't necessarily follow each other in sequential order.
Most United States military cadences may be considered part of the African American music in that the modern custom of performing United States military drill cadences began with an African American -Private Willie Duckworth, and all drill cadences have a call & response pattern that is characteristic of many African & African Diaspora music genres. Also, many United States military cadences have African American words, phrases, and/or expressions from vernacular African American English, references to African American folk characters such as "Jodie", and/or "African American" music titles or names of "Black" social dances. For instance, there are numerous versions of the drill cadence "Fired Up Feels Good". And most of those versions that I've come across have multiple African American cultural elements.
Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/11/fired-up-feels-good-military-cadence.html for a post about the cadence "Fired Up Feels Good". That post also includes some general information about military cadences. But, in contrast, the USMC cadence "13 Weeks Of Misery" has none of these apparent African American elements except its call & response pattern.
*Some examples of cadences that contain lines from "13 Weeks Of Misery" are found in the Addendum to this post.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO
United States Marine Corps Cadence - 13 Weeks Of Misery!
Dominic DeAngelo,Published on Aug 12, 2012
A Marine Corps Cadence called 13 Weeks Of Misery. I would like to thank all of you brave men and women out there who have or are still currently serving. Thank you and God Bless you and your families. Get home safe!
-snip-
Another video of this same recording is found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J09Km2hej5c:
ljoshua88, a commenter from that video's viewer comment thread indicatess that "this is a marching cadence, motivation runs are more fast paced cadence".
****
LYRICS- 13 WEEKS OF MISERY
These lyrics are transcribed from subtitles* that are posted in the video that is embedded below.
Each line that the Caller chants is exactly repeated by the unit.
USMC Cadence - 13 Weeks of Misery (W/ Lyrics)
Matthew Runyon, Published on Jan 10, 2013
"Another USMC cadence. Thanks for watching.
*** Fixes courtesy of halomerc5423 ***"
*The “A-low right a-layo”* words were represented by the words “Cadence calling”.
Cadence calling:
A-low right a-layo
A-lefty right a-layo
A-low right a-layo
A-lefty right a-low
A-low right a-layo
A-lefty right a-layo
A-low right a-lefty right
A-lefty right a-low
13 weeks of misery
13 weeks of hell.
I was living in the city,
a working every day.
Until a man in blue,
happened to come my way.
I signed my name upon the dotted line.
Packed all my trash,
got on the plane.
All to serve my time…
Cadence calling
They sent me to an island,
of where they made Marines.
They said “1000 boys may come,
but only men may leave.”
They issued all my gear --
combat boots and skivvy shirts.
In a few short hours,
they had me in the dirt.
My drill instructor,
he trained me rough and hard.
He taught me how to fight;
he taught me how to march.
Cadence calling
In three short months,
as long as it has seemed
I finally had earned,
the title of Marine.
How well do I remember,
my graduation day.
As I left I swore,
I wouldn’t be back this way.
I went to my drill instructors,
and gave to them my hand.
I thanked them for their time.
They made this boy a man.
Cadence calling
I served my time proudly out in the FMF.
But back at Parris Island
There was something I felt I left.
So I’m back a second time.
A smokey in my hand,
training US Marine recruits,
the very best I can.
I found out what I lost,
in the very end --
The making of Marines,
down where it all began.
Cadence calling
****
WHAT LAYO MEANS
From http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-96031.html
asherdasher114 05-26-10, 04:33 PM
..."What is a 'layo'? (not sure if that is the correct spelling) Every cadence seems to start with 'left right layo, left right layo, low right layo, lefty right low'. So, I thought I would pose the question to the Marines on this forum... What is a layo? Have cadences always started with this sequence, or did layo form from another word over time?
**
Response from same blog thread:
Rocky C 05-26-10, 05:12 PM
"Got it for you!!!
All Military Steps Either Walking, Marching, Running starts with the left foot.
Example Cadence; Left Right Layo, Lefty Right Layo.
LAYO.
Left
And
Your
Off
There you go........."
****
Note that in drill cadences the words “layo” and “low” mean “left [foot]”.
****
EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE USE OF "A" IN MILITARY CADENCES
From http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-10271.html posted by SRT Sniper 07-15-06, 02:19 PM
"The notation "A-" or "a-" denotes the chopped DI sound similar to "uh" making it more of a run-on to the following word, thus the reason for the hyphen."
-snip-
"DI"="Drill instructor"
****
ADDENDUM: OTHER CADENCES THAT INCLUDE A LINE FROM "13 WEEKS OF MISERY" [I'm not sure about the titles of these examples.]
Example #1:
Suzy said to me one day long ago.
She said honey please dont join the Corps.
They like to do nothing but fuss n fight.
N they look kinda wierd with those high n tights.
They got bad table manners and they are so crude.
They got a warm sense of humor and their jokes are rude.
I said suzy let me tell ya what ill do.
Ill join the corps just for a year or two.
I packed my trash and I headed to the plane.
I went to the place where they made Marines.
Parris Island was the name of the place.
The first thing I saw was the drill instructors face.
He had razor creases and a smokey bear.
Mountain climbin recruits everywhere.
O yeah
Well suzy said its me or the Corps.
I cant take this life anymore.
I looked at suzy with a big ol' grin
I havnt seen suzy since I dont know when.
-proachbass91, http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-10271.html, 11-12-06, 03:42 PM
**
Example #2:
Oh-yeah
Here we go
I used to sit at home all day,
Letting my life a waste away.
Then one day a man in blue,
Said son I got a job for you,
Theres travel and adventure and loads of fun,
And well even teach you how to shoot a gun.
Theres room and board and a plate of food,
And a brand new tailored business suit.
I used to drive a Bonneville,
Now all I do is run up a hill.
I used to drive a Chevrolet,
Now all I do is sleep in the hay.
I used to drive a Cadillac,
Now all I do is hump a pack.
-Kurby494, http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-10271.html, 06-19-07, 02:42 PM
**
Example #3:
Oh theres a place where Marines are made,
Yellin and a runnin day to day.
Mean DI's makin fighting machines,
They take boys and make them mean.
Get up in the mornin in the drizzle and rain,
Run all day till you feel the pain.
This is the place that God forgot,
Sand is deep and the sun is hot.
It's as fierce as your Drill Instructors face,
Parris Island is the name of this place
I used to sit at home all day,
Letting my life a waste away.
Then one day a man in blue,
Said son I got a job for you,
Theres travel and adventure and loads of fun,
And well even teach you how to shoot a gun.
Theres room and board and a plate of food,
And a brand new tailored business suit.
I used to drive a Bonneville,
Now all I do is run up a hill.
I used to drive a Chevrolet,
Now all I do is sleep in the hay.
I used to drive a Cadillac,
Now all I do is hump a pack.
Suzie said to me one day long ago,
Honey please dont join the Corps.
They like to do nothing but fuss and fight,
They look at women like they're high and tight.
They got poor table manners and they are so crude,
They got a board's sense of humor and they are so rude.
I said Suzie let me tell you what I'll do,
I'll join the Corps just for a year or two.
So I packed my trash and I headed for the plane,
I went to the place where they made Marines.
Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah
Parris Island was the name of the place,
The first thing I saw was a Drill Instructors face.
Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah
He had razor creases and a Smoky Bear,
Mountain climbing recruits everywhere
Suzie said it's me or the Corps,
I cant take this life anymore.
I looked at her with a big ol grin,
I haven't seen Suzie since I dont know when.
Oh Yeah
Take it
I got it
-snip-
I'm not sure if these examples pre-date "13 Weeks Of Misery" or were composed after that boot camp story/cadence.
****
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.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, November 11, 2013
"Fired Up! Feels Good" Military Cadence (Examples & Comments)
Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest edition -December 18, 2024
This pancocojams post showcases examples of the United States Marine Corps cadence "Fired Up! Feels Good" (also known as "Fired Up! Feeling Good").
Particular attention in this post is paid to the subject of the African American cultural influence on drill cadences in general, and the "Fired Up! Feeling Good" cadence in particular.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
-snip-
****
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT MILITARY CADENCES
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_cadence
"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.
...Many cadences have a call and response structure of which one soldier initiates a line, and the remaining soldiers complete it... 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, while maintaining the correct beat or cadence."
-snip-
For more information about & examples of military cadences, including information about the meaning of the character "Jody" click this link to a page of my cocojams website: http://cocojams.com/content/military-cadences-other-cadences
EDITOR'S COMMENT ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN INFLUENCES ON UNITED STATES MILITARY CADENCES:
This comment is reposted with minor word changes from http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=2915&messages=131 "Military Jodies?"
"Pardon me if this is too serious a comment for this thread. But I feel the need to get right down to the real nitty gritty...
With regard to the article whose link I provided*, that author wrote that cadence calls "takes lyrical fragments of social history and sets them to riffs and patterns hot-rodded from blues and rock & roll, and more distantly, the call-and-response of gospel and African music".
Given that the genres of blues, and rock & roll, and gospel, and African music" [as a broad brush generic category] all originate from Black folks [at least the type of gospel I believe the author is talking about] and given that Willie Duckworth [whose 1944 Sound Off chant is rightly considered the beginning of modern military cadence calls] is African American, and further given the fact that the other name for military cadence calls is "jodies" and the name "jodies" came from the African American literary character "Joe de organ grinder", given all this plus the call & response pattern and sexual braggadocio features of military cadence calls, it seems to me that it would be correct and proper to consider the genre of "cadence calls" as a part of African American cultural heritage. And if that goes too far, at the very least, it seems to me that it would be correct and proper to acknowledge that cadence calls are heavily influenced by African American cultural heritage.
It also seems to me that people think that they have to tip toe around the mention of race or be considered racist. One consequence of this is that recognition of the accomplishments of African Americans and other people of color is often hidden.
Previously, recognition of Black accomplishments were discounted, trivilized, hidden, or claimed by others because the powers that be were indeed racist. And that beat is still going on today a lot of times and in a lot of places...
For a number of reasons, I don't think it's a good thing to discount, trivilize, or hide Black accomplishments and the influences Black people have had on specific music genres and other parts of history and cultures.
For a number of reasons, I don't think it's a good thing that African American accomplishments & influences are claimed by others. I also don't think that it's a good thing that no acknowlegment of the racial background of folks is given at all since in this "White is the default race" world, many people will automatically think that White people were the creators of the primary influencers of whatever it is that folks are talking or reading about.
This is not to say that people of other races and cultures have had no part in the creation of blues, rock & roll, gospel, or military cadence calls. But, if truth were told, all of those genres have been and are now most heavily influenced by African American cultures and other Black cultures.
I just needed to say that.
You can take all of it or some of it or leave it all behind."
-Ms. Azizi Powell; June 24, 2007
*The link is no longer viable to an article on the military cadence "Airborne Ranger".
-snip-
Comments about the African American influence on the "Fired Up! Feeling Good" cadence in particular are posted below.
****
FEATURED VIDEOS & LYRICS
(These videos are presented in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates posted first.)
Example #1: U.S Marines ''Fired Up - Feel Good'' with footage
zoomscooper81 Uploaded on Jun 23, 2008
Tribute to the United States Marines. If you like, please subscribe.
-snip-
Like other military cadences, there are multiple versions of "Fired Up! Feeling Good". Here's a version of this cadence that was published on http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/archive/index.php/t-22848.html:
A-lo righta lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft.
A-Lefty righta lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft.
A-Lo right lay-eft, A-Lo right lay-eft.
A-Left right lay-eft, A-Left right lay-eft.
A-Lo righta lay-eft, A-Lo righta lay-eft.
I love to double time, I love to double time.
Feels good, Feels good.
Sounds good, Sounds good.
Fired up, Fired up.
Fired up, Fired up.
47, 47.
Fired up, Fired up.
Here we go, Here we go.
On the Road, On the Road.
47, 47.
Fired up, Fired up.
-winchman, 02-14-2007, 03:34 AM
-snip-
Commenters on that discussion thread provide several explanations for the number "47". One of those explanations is also given on http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101113162136AAaxcPV "Signifance of 27 in Marine Song Fired Up Feels Good"?"
" Many of those official USMC cadences were recorded during drill instructor school. The 27 is most likely a class number. There are no units in the USMC with a "27" in them"
-Future Jarheads, 2010
-snip-
The tune used for "Fired Up! Feels Good" is the same tune as the African American Old Time Music songs "Hush Little Baby" and "Hambone".
****
Example #2: The Unit theme song - fired up feel good
erabaretaLazyPROD, Uploaded on Jun 21, 2010
music and pictures : The Unit
-snip
Here's information about "The Unit" from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unit
" 'The Unit' is an American action-drama television series that focused on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force. The series originally aired on CBS from March 7, 2006 to May 10, 2009"....
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's comment thread:
Jomskylark - 2011
"... the cadence itself is a USMC cadence, but the characters depicted in the television series are soldiers (Army, specifically Delta Force). It's weird why the composer chose to use a USMC cadence for an Army series, but whatever..."
****
Example #3: Fired up
northshore054, Published on May 7, 2012
-snip-
The following lyrics were found in this video's summary, but are reformatted for this post.
FIRED UP! FEELING GOOD
A-Where we gonna go when we get back, A-Where we gonna go when we get back
I take the shower and hit the rack, I take the shower and hit the rack
A-No way; No way.
Gotta Run, Gotta Run
PT; PT
A-Lots o' fun, Lots o' fun
A-lo righta lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft
A-Lefty righta lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft
A-Lo right lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft
A-Left right lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft
A-Lo righta lay-eft , A-lo righta lay-eft
I love to double time. I love to double time.
Feels good, Feels good
Sounds good, Sounds good
Fired up, Fired up
Fired up, Fired up
47, 47
Fired up, Fired up
Here we go, Here we go
On the Road, On the Road
Fired up, Fired up
47, 47
Fired up, Fired up
Hey bobba reeba, Hey bobba reeba
Hey bobba reeba, Hey bobba reeba
I wish old lady, I wish old lady
Uuuh-Uuuh, Uuuh-Uuuh
Feels Good, Feels Good
Hey bobba reeba, Hey bobba reeba
-snip-
[cadence continues with words already given]
-snip-
Note that this transcription explanation applies to the above lyrics:
From http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?10271-Cadence-time!!!/page7&p=221834#post221834
"Words in italics are the unit response to the DI's call.
The notation "A-" or "a-" denotes the chopped DI sound similar to "uh" making it more of a run-on to the following word, thus the reason for the hyphen.
-snip-
Among many African Americans, in informal usage, the word "a" is usually pronounced "ah"."
-snip-
"Hey bobba reeba" is from the Lionel Hampton's 1946 Jazz song "Hey Ba Ba Ree Ba". Click http://cocojams.com/content/hey-ba-ba-re-bop-videos-lyrics-precusor-songs-analysis for that post.
****
Example #4: Fired Up! military cadence
armedfitnessusa, Published on Dec 24, 2012
Armed Fitness USA track "Fired Up," will get you fired up for your military workout.
-snip-
Transcription of "FIRED UP! FEELIN GOOD"*
[The group repeats each line, sometimes leaving off the beginning word such as "I" or "You" or "A".]
Fired up
Feelin good
Motivated
Dedicated
Well alright
Alright
Out of sight
I’m dynomite
Dynomite
Doin it right
Wanna jump
From a bird
All right
Everybody
Fired up
Everybody
Dedicated
Motivated
Everybody
Packin heat
Old man
Feelin good
Gonna ride
Doin this song
Lean and mean
A green machine
Airborne
I am
Lean and mean
Rough and tough
I know my stuff
I can run
All day
I can fight
All night
Let me be
Infantry
Airborne
Silver wings
Fired up
Fired up
All right
Everybody
Clap your hands
Everybody
Clap your hands
Everybody
Sound off
Everybody
Let them know
Who you are
All right
Dynamite
Everybody
Clap your hands
We gonna boogie
Boogie Woogie
Boogalu
Me and you
Airborne
All right
We’re gonna rock
Everybody
I gonna be
Airborne
I’m gonna be
Lean and mean
A green machine
I’m airborne
All the way
You got the feelings
In your legs
Pick them up
And put them down
You got the feelings
In your hands
You gonna clap
Airborne
You got the feeling
In your heart
Sound off
Everybody
We gonna rock
All right
Hey Hey
Every day
I’m motivated
I’m dedicated
I can run
I can jump
A Paratrooper
A superdooper
A Paratrooper
All right
Hey hey
Everybody
How ya feel
Feelin good
How ya feel
Feelin good
All right
[Group leads] How ya lookin
Lead: Lookin good
Group-Lookin good
Lead- Hollywood [returns to regular pattern]
All right
You’re dynomite
Hey hey
Everybody
Feelin good
I’m Fired up
I’m motivated
Dedicated
[ends with rhythmic hand clapping]
-snip-
*Transcription by Azizi Powell. Italics mean that I'm not sure about that transcription. Additions and corrections welcome.
-snip-
The African American influences in this example of "Fired Up! "Feelin Good" include
1. its call & response structure [Also note the alternative call & response structure in which the Group voice starts and the Lead responds to the Group.]
2. its use of African American Vernacular English pronunciation such as "feelin" instead of "feeling", "ya" instead of "you", and "gonna" instead of "going to".
3. its use of African American vernacular sayings such as "Fired up! [meaning "Be energized"; "Be excited"], "We’re gonna rock" ("We're going to do very well"), "Out of sight" (meaning "great", "superlative"), and "Dynomite!" ("very good", a saying that was popularized by the character of J.J. in the 1970s American sitcom "Good Times. That situation comedy featured an African American family living in a working class housing development.)
Notice the very close similarity between the exclamation "Fired up! Feels good" and the "Fired up. Ready To Go" saying that was used in the 2008 and [to a lesser extent] 2012 Presidental campaign of United States President Barack Obama.
4. its repeated use of certain rhyming lyrics such as
"All right/ Hey Hey/ Every day"
5. its inclusion of the African American dance/music references "boogie woogie", and the Affican American/Latino reference "Boogalu".
6. its inclusion of the "clap your hands" command and its ending with the rhythmic hand clapping segment.
-snip-
Furthermore, the African American cultural influence of this particular example of "Fired Up! Feelin Good" is suggested because some of the lines in this example appear to be improvisational. [All of its lyrics aren't fixed. Some of its lyrics were probably made up "on the spot".]
And because all of its lyrics aren't fixed, there' no fixed length of this cadences [or of most cadences]*. The cadence continues as long as the situation dictated.
*Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/11/13-weeks-of-misery-usmc-cadence-with.html for an example of a USMC cadence entitled "13 Weeks Of Misery" that appears to have little or no variants, but has a story line which appears to be recited in its entirety.
****
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.
Thank you for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Latest edition -December 18, 2024
This pancocojams post showcases examples of the United States Marine Corps cadence "Fired Up! Feels Good" (also known as "Fired Up! Feeling Good").
Particular attention in this post is paid to the subject of the African American cultural influence on drill cadences in general, and the "Fired Up! Feeling Good" cadence in particular.
The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
-snip-
The examples of military cadences in this post are "clean" ("family friendly"). However, many other examples of military cadences & many comments about military cadences contain profanity, explicit sexual references, excessive violence, and other content which aren't suitable for children.
****
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT MILITARY CADENCES
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_cadence
"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.
...Many cadences have a call and response structure of which one soldier initiates a line, and the remaining soldiers complete it... 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, while maintaining the correct beat or cadence."
-snip-
For more information about & examples of military cadences, including information about the meaning of the character "Jody" click this link to a page of my cocojams website: http://cocojams.com/content/military-cadences-other-cadences
EDITOR'S COMMENT ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN INFLUENCES ON UNITED STATES MILITARY CADENCES:
This comment is reposted with minor word changes from http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=2915&messages=131 "Military Jodies?"
"Pardon me if this is too serious a comment for this thread. But I feel the need to get right down to the real nitty gritty...
With regard to the article whose link I provided*, that author wrote that cadence calls "takes lyrical fragments of social history and sets them to riffs and patterns hot-rodded from blues and rock & roll, and more distantly, the call-and-response of gospel and African music".
Given that the genres of blues, and rock & roll, and gospel, and African music" [as a broad brush generic category] all originate from Black folks [at least the type of gospel I believe the author is talking about] and given that Willie Duckworth [whose 1944 Sound Off chant is rightly considered the beginning of modern military cadence calls] is African American, and further given the fact that the other name for military cadence calls is "jodies" and the name "jodies" came from the African American literary character "Joe de organ grinder", given all this plus the call & response pattern and sexual braggadocio features of military cadence calls, it seems to me that it would be correct and proper to consider the genre of "cadence calls" as a part of African American cultural heritage. And if that goes too far, at the very least, it seems to me that it would be correct and proper to acknowledge that cadence calls are heavily influenced by African American cultural heritage.
It also seems to me that people think that they have to tip toe around the mention of race or be considered racist. One consequence of this is that recognition of the accomplishments of African Americans and other people of color is often hidden.
Previously, recognition of Black accomplishments were discounted, trivilized, hidden, or claimed by others because the powers that be were indeed racist. And that beat is still going on today a lot of times and in a lot of places...
For a number of reasons, I don't think it's a good thing to discount, trivilize, or hide Black accomplishments and the influences Black people have had on specific music genres and other parts of history and cultures.
For a number of reasons, I don't think it's a good thing that African American accomplishments & influences are claimed by others. I also don't think that it's a good thing that no acknowlegment of the racial background of folks is given at all since in this "White is the default race" world, many people will automatically think that White people were the creators of the primary influencers of whatever it is that folks are talking or reading about.
This is not to say that people of other races and cultures have had no part in the creation of blues, rock & roll, gospel, or military cadence calls. But, if truth were told, all of those genres have been and are now most heavily influenced by African American cultures and other Black cultures.
I just needed to say that.
You can take all of it or some of it or leave it all behind."
-Ms. Azizi Powell; June 24, 2007
*The link is no longer viable to an article on the military cadence "Airborne Ranger".
-snip-
Comments about the African American influence on the "Fired Up! Feeling Good" cadence in particular are posted below.
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FEATURED VIDEOS & LYRICS
(These videos are presented in chronological order with the videos with the oldest dates posted first.)
Example #1: U.S Marines ''Fired Up - Feel Good'' with footage
zoomscooper81 Uploaded on Jun 23, 2008
Tribute to the United States Marines. If you like, please subscribe.
-snip-
Like other military cadences, there are multiple versions of "Fired Up! Feeling Good". Here's a version of this cadence that was published on http://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/archive/index.php/t-22848.html:
A-lo righta lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft.
A-Lefty righta lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft.
A-Lo right lay-eft, A-Lo right lay-eft.
A-Left right lay-eft, A-Left right lay-eft.
A-Lo righta lay-eft, A-Lo righta lay-eft.
I love to double time, I love to double time.
Feels good, Feels good.
Sounds good, Sounds good.
Fired up, Fired up.
Fired up, Fired up.
47, 47.
Fired up, Fired up.
Here we go, Here we go.
On the Road, On the Road.
47, 47.
Fired up, Fired up.
-winchman, 02-14-2007, 03:34 AM
-snip-
Commenters on that discussion thread provide several explanations for the number "47". One of those explanations is also given on http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101113162136AAaxcPV "Signifance of 27 in Marine Song Fired Up Feels Good"?"
" Many of those official USMC cadences were recorded during drill instructor school. The 27 is most likely a class number. There are no units in the USMC with a "27" in them"
-Future Jarheads, 2010
-snip-
The tune used for "Fired Up! Feels Good" is the same tune as the African American Old Time Music songs "Hush Little Baby" and "Hambone".
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Example #2: The Unit theme song - fired up feel good
erabaretaLazyPROD, Uploaded on Jun 21, 2010
music and pictures : The Unit
-snip
Here's information about "The Unit" from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unit
" 'The Unit' is an American action-drama television series that focused on a top-secret military unit modeled after the real-life U.S. Army special operations unit commonly known as Delta Force. The series originally aired on CBS from March 7, 2006 to May 10, 2009"....
-snip-
Here's a comment from that video's comment thread:
Jomskylark - 2011
"... the cadence itself is a USMC cadence, but the characters depicted in the television series are soldiers (Army, specifically Delta Force). It's weird why the composer chose to use a USMC cadence for an Army series, but whatever..."
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Example #3: Fired up
northshore054, Published on May 7, 2012
-snip-
The following lyrics were found in this video's summary, but are reformatted for this post.
FIRED UP! FEELING GOOD
A-Where we gonna go when we get back, A-Where we gonna go when we get back
I take the shower and hit the rack, I take the shower and hit the rack
A-No way; No way.
Gotta Run, Gotta Run
PT; PT
A-Lots o' fun, Lots o' fun
A-lo righta lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft
A-Lefty righta lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft
A-Lo right lay-eft, A-lo righta lay-eft
A-Left right lay-eft, A-Lefty righta lay-eft
A-Lo righta lay-eft , A-lo righta lay-eft
I love to double time. I love to double time.
Feels good, Feels good
Sounds good, Sounds good
Fired up, Fired up
Fired up, Fired up
47, 47
Fired up, Fired up
Here we go, Here we go
On the Road, On the Road
Fired up, Fired up
47, 47
Fired up, Fired up
Hey bobba reeba, Hey bobba reeba
Hey bobba reeba, Hey bobba reeba
I wish old lady, I wish old lady
Uuuh-Uuuh, Uuuh-Uuuh
Feels Good, Feels Good
Hey bobba reeba, Hey bobba reeba
-snip-
[cadence continues with words already given]
-snip-
Note that this transcription explanation applies to the above lyrics:
From http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?10271-Cadence-time!!!/page7&p=221834#post221834
"Words in italics are the unit response to the DI's call.
The notation "A-" or "a-" denotes the chopped DI sound similar to "uh" making it more of a run-on to the following word, thus the reason for the hyphen.
-snip-
Among many African Americans, in informal usage, the word "a" is usually pronounced "ah"."
-snip-
"Hey bobba reeba" is from the Lionel Hampton's 1946 Jazz song "Hey Ba Ba Ree Ba". Click http://cocojams.com/content/hey-ba-ba-re-bop-videos-lyrics-precusor-songs-analysis for that post.
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Example #4: Fired Up! military cadence
armedfitnessusa, Published on Dec 24, 2012
Armed Fitness USA track "Fired Up," will get you fired up for your military workout.
-snip-
Transcription of "FIRED UP! FEELIN GOOD"*
[The group repeats each line, sometimes leaving off the beginning word such as "I" or "You" or "A".]
Fired up
Feelin good
Motivated
Dedicated
Well alright
Alright
Out of sight
I’m dynomite
Dynomite
Doin it right
Wanna jump
From a bird
All right
Everybody
Fired up
Everybody
Dedicated
Motivated
Everybody
Packin heat
Old man
Feelin good
Gonna ride
Doin this song
Lean and mean
A green machine
Airborne
I am
Lean and mean
Rough and tough
I know my stuff
I can run
All day
I can fight
All night
Let me be
Infantry
Airborne
Silver wings
Fired up
Fired up
All right
Everybody
Clap your hands
Everybody
Clap your hands
Everybody
Sound off
Everybody
Let them know
Who you are
All right
Dynamite
Everybody
Clap your hands
We gonna boogie
Boogie Woogie
Boogalu
Me and you
Airborne
All right
We’re gonna rock
Everybody
I gonna be
Airborne
I’m gonna be
Lean and mean
A green machine
I’m airborne
All the way
You got the feelings
In your legs
Pick them up
And put them down
You got the feelings
In your hands
You gonna clap
Airborne
You got the feeling
In your heart
Sound off
Everybody
We gonna rock
All right
Hey Hey
Every day
I’m motivated
I’m dedicated
I can run
I can jump
A Paratrooper
A superdooper
A Paratrooper
All right
Hey hey
Everybody
How ya feel
Feelin good
How ya feel
Feelin good
All right
[Group leads] How ya lookin
Lead: Lookin good
Group-Lookin good
Lead- Hollywood [returns to regular pattern]
All right
You’re dynomite
Hey hey
Everybody
Feelin good
I’m Fired up
I’m motivated
Dedicated
[ends with rhythmic hand clapping]
-snip-
*Transcription by Azizi Powell. Italics mean that I'm not sure about that transcription. Additions and corrections welcome.
-snip-
The African American influences in this example of "Fired Up! "Feelin Good" include
1. its call & response structure [Also note the alternative call & response structure in which the Group voice starts and the Lead responds to the Group.]
2. its use of African American Vernacular English pronunciation such as "feelin" instead of "feeling", "ya" instead of "you", and "gonna" instead of "going to".
3. its use of African American vernacular sayings such as "Fired up! [meaning "Be energized"; "Be excited"], "We’re gonna rock" ("We're going to do very well"), "Out of sight" (meaning "great", "superlative"), and "Dynomite!" ("very good", a saying that was popularized by the character of J.J. in the 1970s American sitcom "Good Times. That situation comedy featured an African American family living in a working class housing development.)
Notice the very close similarity between the exclamation "Fired up! Feels good" and the "Fired up. Ready To Go" saying that was used in the 2008 and [to a lesser extent] 2012 Presidental campaign of United States President Barack Obama.
4. its repeated use of certain rhyming lyrics such as
"All right/ Hey Hey/ Every day"
5. its inclusion of the African American dance/music references "boogie woogie", and the Affican American/Latino reference "Boogalu".
6. its inclusion of the "clap your hands" command and its ending with the rhythmic hand clapping segment.
-snip-
Furthermore, the African American cultural influence of this particular example of "Fired Up! Feelin Good" is suggested because some of the lines in this example appear to be improvisational. [All of its lyrics aren't fixed. Some of its lyrics were probably made up "on the spot".]
And because all of its lyrics aren't fixed, there' no fixed length of this cadences [or of most cadences]*. The cadence continues as long as the situation dictated.
*Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/11/13-weeks-of-misery-usmc-cadence-with.html for an example of a USMC cadence entitled "13 Weeks Of Misery" that appears to have little or no variants, but has a story line which appears to be recited in its entirety.
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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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