Edited by Azizi Powell
Revised: May 2, 2019
This pancocojams post showcases versions of the United States military cadences entitled "Here We Go Again" and "Hey You Knuckleheads".
In addition, this post provides information about the Baltimore Club song "Hey You Knuckleheads" and the children's action songs "Hey You Knucklehead and Hey Alafia".
The content of this post is presented for cultural and recreational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of the military cadence song file that is featured in this post.
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Portions of this post were previously published in the June 2018 pancocojams post entitled "The Meaning/s Of The Military Cadence Phrase "Pick Up The Step" & Some Examples Of Military Cadences That Include That Phrase" http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-meanings-of-military-cadence-phrase.html.
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SHOWCASE SOUND FILE: US army JROTC : here we go again
U.S Army Jrotc, Published on Aug 7, 2016
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Jrotc = Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
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LYRICS FOR THE MILITARY CADENCE "HERE WE GO AGAIN" (from the sound file given above)
Here we go again
Same old stuff again
Marching down the avenue
Six more weeks and we’ll be through
I’ll be glad and so will you
I won't have to look at you
You won't have to look at me
Am I right or wrong
[You're right!]
Are we weak or strong
[We're strong!]
Sound off
[1, 2]
Sound off
[3, 4]
Break it on down now
1-2-3-4
1-2-3 4.
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There are a number of different examples of the "Here We Go Again" military cadence online.
All of the versions are call & response. (The group repeats the line chanted by the caller and chants the lines given in brackets.)
The words "go left go right go pick up the steps" are found in some versions of the military cadence "Jody Boy", as chanted with the same tune in this YouTube sound file https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IXXhd8VRSU :
"Your left, your left
Your left , righta left
Your military left
Your left, your right
now pick up the step
Your left your right your le--eh -eft"."
"Go left, go right, go pick up the steps" are also found in the military cadence "Captain Jack" and probably in other military cadences.
The "go left go right go pick up the steps" words are undoubtedly the source for the "go left go right go pick up the sticks" lyrics that are sung in the "All You Knuckleheads" children's song adaptation of the "Here We Go Again" military cadence that my daughter learned in 1996 when she was a counselor at a children's camp near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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THE MILITARY CADENCE, BALTIMORE CLUB SONG, AND CHILDREN'S SONG ENTITLED "ALL YOU KNUCKLEHEADS"
The United States military cadence “All You Knuckleheads" is probably a variant form of "Here We Go Again”.
Here's a version of the military cadence "All You Knuckleheads"
From https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10803
"Subject: RE: Cadence or Marching Songs
From: GUEST,ILUVCOSFORD
Date: 10 May 09 - 02:12 PM
"HEY YOU KNUCKLEHEADS
Hey you knuckleheads,
(reply: Hey you knuckleheads)
You dumb dumb knuckleheads,
(reply: You dumb dumb knuckleheads)
You crazy knuckleheads
(reply: You crazy knuckleheads)
Marching down this avenue
(reply: Marching down this avenue)
...(number, starting with ten) more miles and we'll be through
(reply:... more miles and we'll be through)
Are we going strong?
(reply: we're strong)
Am I right or wrong?
(reply: You're right)
Sound off
(reply: One, two)
Round off
(reply: Three, four)
Turn em all around and bring em back down now
(reply: 4,3,2,1 4,3,2,1)
Keep repeating that, changing the number of miles each time, going down from ten to zero =)
Hope that helps! Xxx"
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BALTIMORE CLUB SONG
The Baltimore Club song "All You Knuckleheads was recorded by Big Ria in 1996. That song uses the tune and the first portion of the "All You Knuckleheads" military cadence. A sound file of Big Ria's "All You Knucklehead"
is found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqRtjtrFwE. The portion of the song that is lifted from the military cadence occurs in the first few seconds of this YouTube sound file (from .03-.13) and then also from 1:07-1:12 in that sound file.
WARNING: The rapper says the word “b*tch” right after the second iteration of that “Hey you knucklehead” line. That is the only expletive in this sound file.
There are other versions of the children's camp song "Hey (or "All") You Knuckleheads". Click https://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us/cms/lib/PA01000033/Centricity/Domain/342/Campfire_Sing.pdf" for the words to a Campfire version of that song. However, neither version of the military cadence posted on Mudcat forum that is quoted above nor the Campfire version include the words "pick up the sticks" or "pick up the step".
My daughter Tazi Hughes learned "All You Knuckleheads" in the summer of 1996/1997 when she was a Camp counselor at Lillian Taylor (summer) Camp near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I think it's likely that the Lillian Taylor camp song may have been adapted from the 1996 Baltimore Club song "Hey You Knuckle Heads" that was performed by Big Ria. However, the version of "All You Knuckleheads" that was sung in that camp is closer to the beginning of the military cadence with that name.
After my daughter Tazi shared that song with me, I changed the words “All You Knuckleheads” to “Hey Alafia*” and retained most of the rest of the song's words and their accompanying movements. Tazi and I then taught that song to the children’s game song group called Alafia Children’s Ensemble that we had founded and led from 1997 to 2004 in two locations in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area as well as special programming sessions in a number of mostly Black communities in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, I don't have any sound files or videos of Alafia Children's Ensemble groups or special programming sessions.
*“Alafia” (ah-LAH-fee-ah) is a Nigeria, West Africa (Hausa language and Yoruba language word that is usually translated in English as “Hello” or “Welcome”. Because we used the word “Alafia” as a group name, when another group sings this song, that group could change the word “Alafia” to the name of their group -for instance, “Hey, Dilworth” [school name] or the name of the city where the children live.
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LYRICS FOR "HEY ALAFIA"
Caller - Hey Alafia
Group- Hey Alafia
Caller - Let’s sing, Alafia
Group- Let’s sing, Alafia
Caller - Marching down the avenue
Group - Marching down the avenue
Caller - Five* more miles and we’ll be through
Group- Five more miles and we’ll be through
Caller -Go left, go left
Group -Go left, go left
Caller-Go left, right, left
Group- Go left, right, left
Caller - Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]
Group- Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]
Repeat from the beginning, counting down to “no more miles”
Caller - Hey Alafia
Group- Hey Alafia
Caller - Let’s sing, Alafia
Group- Let’s sing, Alafia
Caller - Marching down the avenue
Group -Marching down the avenue
Caller – No more miles so we are through
Group- No more miles so we are through
Caller - Go left, go left
Group -Go left, go left
Caller- Go left, right, left
Group- Go left, right, left
Caller - Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]
Group- Go left, go right
Go pick up the sticks
Go left, go right, go left [clap clap]
*The caller can choose any number of miles from 2 to 10.
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PERFORMANCE INSTRUCTIONS FOR "HEY ALAFIA"
The group forms a vertical line behind the designated caller. The caller moves in a zig zag line around the performance space.
The group repeats the caller’s words as they follow the caller’s movements:
When the caller sings the number of miles (for instance, “Five more miles and we’ll be through”), she [or he] holds up the number of fingers with her (his) hand/s.
When the caller sings, “go left, go left”, she (he) steps to the left.
When the caller sings, “go left, right, left”, she (he) steps to the left, then to the right, and then to the left.
When teaching this song, the caller explains that the line “go left, go, right, go pick up the sticks” is tricky, and the group has to wait until after she (or he) claps two times at the end before they sing their part.
When the caller sings, “go, left, go right, go pick up the sticks”, the caller moves to the left, then moves to the right, and then bends down and imitates picking up sticks off the ground.
On the line “no more miles so we are through”, the caller makes a zero sign with her (his) hands.
Note: When my daughter Tazi teaches this chant, she elongates the word "avenue" so that it's pronounced something like "avenuuue".
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