The Army Cadence "Pebbles And Bam Bam" Is Based On The First Verse Of The Early 20th Century Song "Raise A Ruckus Tonight"

Team Stay Motivated, Sep 19, 2016

These Warriors are camo up and headed to chow right after their final inspection prior to Vic Forge... they are Inspired, Motivated, and are on their last push to complete basic training... Th[ese are] your future Leaders that will protect your families and you at night and protecting you from harms way... Strive for Greatness!!!
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The "Pebbles And Bam Bam" cadence is found at 3:09 to 4:31 in this video. Read the lyrics for this version below in this post.

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Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post documents the similarities between the "Raise A Ruckus Tonight", "Three Little Angels" and the "Pebbles And Bam Bam" army cadence. 

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and aesthetic purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are featured in these videos and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post .

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RAISE A RUCUS (RUCKUS) TONIGHT

Gonna Raise a Ruckus Tonight ~ Carlisle Brothers with Guitars and Mandolin (1939)

Hankfan Hankfan, May 12, 2023  #78rpm #1939 #Country
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The earliest documentation of the song "Raise A Ruckus Tonight" is found in African American university professor and folklorist Thomas W. Talley's 1922  collection of songs entitled Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise And Other Wise. Click http://www.gutenberg.org/files/27195/27195-h/27195-h.htm page 90 for that song.

The first verse of that version of "Raise A Ruckus Tonight" isn't used in any other version of that song that I've come across. Here's that verse (given with amended spelling for the plural form of the pejorative referent that is commonly written now as "the n word" That word is completely spelled out in that song. The words that are given in brackets are the group's responses to the leader's call]

"Two liddle N----rs all dressed in white,

(Raise a rucus to-night)

Want to get to Heaben on de tail of a kite.

(Raise a rucus to-night)

De kite string broke; dem N----rs fell;

(Raise a rucus to-night)

Wha dem N----rs go, I hain't gwineter tell.

(Raise a rucus to-night)…."
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https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ruckus# gives this definition for the word "ruckus"  -"a noisy fight or disturbance, ROW, COMMOTION" 

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Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/12/raise-ruckus-tonight-examples-comments.html "Raise A Ruckus Tonight (examples & comments)" for the complete lyrics for that 1922 version of that song.

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THREE LITTLE ANGELS (ALL DRESSED IN WHITE)

Three Little Angels 

onmyHONOUR, May 21, 2013
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This children's counting song is titled "Three Little Angels", "Ten Little Angels" or some other number.

It's clear that the basic words for the children's non-religious song "Three Little Angels" (All dressed in white)" have their source in the first verse of "Raise A Rucus Tonight" (as given in Thomas W. Talley's Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise And Other Wise). However, all of the lyrics of  "Raise A Rukcus Tonight" and "Three Little Angels" aren't the same . Also, "Three Little Angels" is sung in unison while early versions of "Raise A Ruckus Tonight" are sung in a call and response pattern.

Furthermore, the tune and tempo for "Three Little Angels" and the tunes and tempos for renditions of "Raise A Ruckus Tonight" that we know about aren't the same.*

*Unfortunately, the tune that was used for the version of "Raise A Rucus Tonight" that is given in Thomas W. Talley's Negro Folk Rhymes book isn't known. 

I haven't found any information about when "Three Little Angels (All dressed in White)" was first sung, but my guess is that it probably was composed in the 1940s around the same time as the children's rhyme "Miss Susie Had A Steamboat" which has a very similar profanity avoidance lyric pattern. In the case of "Three Little Angels", the "profanity" that is avoided is the word "hell".

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LYRICS - THREE LITTLE ANGELS (All dressed in white) 

Three little angels,
all dressed in white,
tried to get to heaven on the end of a kite,
but the kite,
it broke,
and down they all fell,
they didn’t get to heaven,
but they all went to….

(repeat, replacing THREE with TWO and then ONE, then move on to next verse)

Three little devils,
all dressed in red,
tried to get to heaven on the end of a thread,
but the thread,
it broke,
and down they all fell,
they didn’t get to heaven,
but they all went to…

(Two, One)

Three little martians,
all dressed in green,
tried to get to heaven in a washing machine,
but the washing machine
it broke,
and down they all fell,
they didn’t get to heaven,
but they all went to…

BED!"...

https://myvirtualsongbook.wordpress.com/2012/04/24/three-little-angels/
-end of quote 

Notice how in subsequent verses of contemporary versions of "Three Little Angels" other characters such as "devils" and "Martians" substitute for "angels". There also are several different ending lines for contemporary versions of this song. Among those lines are:

"They didn't go to heaven
They all went to 
bed"

"Don't get excited,
Don't lose your head.
They didn't get to heaven but they all went to bed!"

"Don't get excited and don't be mislead
Instead of going to heaven, they all went to
bed".

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE "PEBBLES AND BAM BAM" ARMY CADENCE 
"Pebbles and Bam Bam" are names for two fictional characters in the popular television animated series The Flintstones.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flintstones 
"The Flintstones is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the Rubbles. It was originally broadcast on ABC from September 30, 1960, to April 1, 1966, and was the first animated series with a prime-time slot on television.[2]

 The show follows the lives of Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their pet dinosaur, Dino, and they later on have a baby girl named Pebbles. Barney and Betty Rubble are their neighbors and best friends, and later on adopt a super-strong baby boy named Bam-Bam and acquire a pet hopparoo (kangaroo) called Hoppy."...
-end of quote- 

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"Pebbles And Bam Bam" is the name of a United States Army cadence (jody) that is based on the children's song "Three Little Angels".* 

* his statement that the children's song "Three Little Angels" pre-dates the army cadence "Pebbles And Bam Bam" is based on my extrapolations regarding the dates of the cultural influences on these compositions. I haven't found any early dates for "Three Little Angels"  besides the first verse for "Raise A Ruckus Tonight" in Thomas W. Talley's 1922 book Negro Folk Rhymes: Wise And Other Wise. 

I also haven't found any definitive early date for the "Pebbles And Bam Bam" army cadence besides "the 1980s" (in several YouTube comments) and the comment that that cadence could have pre-dated the 1980s since The Flintstones television series was so popular in the 1960s.  If you have any information about when either or both of these compositions were first documented, please share that information in the comment section for this pancocojams post.  

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LYRICS - PEBBLES AND BAM BAM 
(Version from Video #1 given at the top of this pancocojams post )  

[The troop repeats each line that the Sergeant sings.] 

Pebbles and Bam-Bam on a Friday night

Trying to get to heaven on a paper kite

Then Lightning struck and down they fell 

Instead of getting to heaven, they went straight to hell

Singin Yabba a dabba a dabbaly doo

Yabba daba daba daba a dabbly doo

And Dino the dog was on the bone 

While Fred and Barney rocked the microphone

Singin “Yabba daba daba a dabbaly do”

 Yabba daba, Yaba daba

 Yabba daba daba daba daba daaaaaba do!"
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This is my transcription from that video. Additions and corrections are welcome. 

Here's another version of "Pebbles And Bam Bam" that is given in the comment section of this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm-Mts6ni2E

@bigstuff3005, 2023
"Pebbles and bamm bamm on a Monday night
Tried to get to heaven on a C-47 flight

Lightning struck and down they soared
Instead of going to heaven they both went to war

Dino the dog was chewing out those rounds
While Fred and Barney heard those guerilla sounds

There was nothing Fred and Barney could do
Except singing, “yabba dabba dabba doo”

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Visitor comments are welcome.

Sound Files & Text Examples Of "Old King Cole" (Military Cadence)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post information about the "Old King Cole" rhyme and the military cadence with that title.

This post also showcases sound file examples and text examples of (United States) "Old King Cole" military cadences.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and featured in these examples.
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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on military cadences and the first post in an ongoing series on military cadences that include fictitious characters. Click those tags below for additional pancocojams posts in those series.

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INFORMATION ABOUT OLD KING COLE NURSERY RHYME AND MILITARY CADENCE
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_King_Cole
" "Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1708. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 1164. The poem describes a merry king who called for his pipe, bowl, and musicians, with the details varying among versions. The "bowl" is a drinking vessel,[1] while the "pipe" may refer either to a musical instrument or to a pipe for smoking tobacco.[2]

[...]

As a marching cadence
The United States military has used versions[10] of the traditional rhyme in the form of marching cadences, since at least the 1920s up to the present. A modern example begins:

Old King Cole was a merry old soul
and a merry ol' soul was he, uh huh.
He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl
and he called for his privates three, uh huh.
Beer! Beer! Beer! cried the private.
Brave men are we
There's none so fair as they can compare
to the airborne infantry, uh huh.

The cadence includes verses for ranks from private to general, in the form of a cumulative song; each verse included a satire at the expense of each rank: "Beer beer beer" said the privates, "Where's my three-day pass" said the corporals, "Drill drill drill" said the sergeant, "Who's gonna read my map" said the looie, "Who's gonna shine my boots" said the captain, "Who's gonna drive my jeep" said the major, "Who's gonna mow my lawn" said the colonel, "Who's gonna walk my dog" said the general. A version of the cadence can be heard on the 1960 album Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall by Harry Belafonte. Another can be found in a 1929 music book, "Sound Off!" Soldier songs from Yankee Doodle to Parley Voo"[11] by Edward Arthur Dolph."...

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILES

Example #1: Old King Cole (The U.S. Air Force)



Various Artists – Topic, Published on Sep 12, 2015
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Old King Cole · The U.S. Air Force

Exercise to the Marching Cadences U.S. Military

℗ 2002 Documentary Recordings

Released on: 2006-02-14

Auto-generated by YouTube.
-snip-
transcription*:

Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he.
He called for his wife and he called for his pipe and he called for his colonels three
“How ‘bout a three day pass” said the colonel
“We do all the work” said the major
“Push that paperwork” said the captain
“What do I do now” said the looie
“Left, right, left” said the sergeant
“Beer, beer, beer” said the airman
Great men are we
There’s none so fair that they can compare with the air academy
Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he.
He called for his wife and he called for his pipe and he called for his generals three
Who’s gonna shine my shoes said the generals
“How ‘bout a three day pass” said the colonels
“We do all the work” said the majors
“Push that paperwork” said the captains
“What do I do now” said the looies
“Left, right, left” said the Sergeants
“Beer, beer, beer” said the airmen
Great men are we
There’s none so fair that they can compare with the air academy
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*This is my transcription from this sound file. Additions and corrections are welcome.

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Example #2: Old King Cole (II) [U.S. Army Rangers]



The U.S. Army Rangers – Topic, Published on Feb 5, 2016
Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Old King Cole (II) · The U.S. Army Rangers

Exercise to the Marching Cadences U.S. Army Rangers

℗ 1999 Documentary Recordings

Released on: 2002-02-05

Auto-generated by YouTube.
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“none so fair that they can compare with the rangers infantry

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Example #3: Old King Cole (The U.S. Army)



Documentary Recordings, Published on Mar 29, 2018
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"but none so fair that they can compare with the airborne infantry, un hun"

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Example #4: OLD KING COLE - MARCHING CADENCE [The U.S. Marine Corp)



Double Time Records, Published on Jul 24, 2018
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“the army’s fair but it can't compare with the marine corp infantry”.

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ADDITIONAL TEXT EXAMPLES OF THIS CADENCE
These text examples are given in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1.
From https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-full-version-of-the-Old-King-Cole-Cadence-When-and-why-was-it-popular
Posted by Michael Dixon, Musician, keyboards
Updated Sep 29, 2015
"The Army Cadence goes like this:

Old King Cole
Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and called for his bowl
And he called for his privates, three
Beer, Beer, Beer said the privates
Merry men are we
But none so fair that they can compare to the airborne infantry
Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his corporals, three
I need a three-day pass said the corporals
Beer, Beer, Beer said the privates
Merry men are we
But none so fair that they can compare to the airborne infantry
Additional Verses:
Sergeants three--"File from the right, column right said the Sgts"
Lieuues three--"I'll lead the way said the lieuies"
Captains three--"Charge that hill said the captains"
Majors three--"Who's gonna shine my boots said the majors"
Colonels three--"Where's my star said the colonels"
Generals three--"War, War, War"

This cadence is apparently still used in Army Basic Training today. Verses have been changed and added over the years."...

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2.
From https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/Prep_For_Basic_Training/Prep_for_basic_general_information/common-marching-cadence.shtml "Old King Cole"
"Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and called for his bowl
And he called for his privates, three
Beer, Beer, Beer said the privates
Merry men are we
But none so fair that they can compare to the airborne infantry

Old King Cole was a merry old soul and a merry old soul was he
He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl
and he called for his corporals, three
I need a three-day pass said the corporals
Beer, Beer, Beer said the privates
Merry men are we
But none so fair that they can compare to the airborne infantry

Additional Verses:
Sergeants three–“File from the left, column right said the Sgts”
Lieuues three–“I’ll lead the way said the lieuies”
Captains three–“Charge that hill said the captains”
Majors three–“Who’s gonna shine my boots said the majors”
Colonels three–“Where’s my star said the colonels”
Generals three–“War, War, War” "

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Sound Files & Text Examples Of "Superman" (Military Cadence)

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancocojams post provides sound file and text examples of (United States) "Superman" military cadences.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric and cultural purposes.

In highlighting these examples of "Superman" military cadences, I'm particular interested in documenting how they resemble other African American originated and African American influenced compositions, particularly R&B/Hip Hop songs.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and featured in these examples.
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This post is part of an ongoing pancocojams series on military cadences and the first post in an ongoing series on military cadences that include fictitious characters. Click those tags below for additional pancocojams posts in those series.

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SHOWCASE SOUND FILES AND TRANSCRIPTIONS
*Unless otherwise noted, these are my transcriptions of these recordings. Additions and corrections are welcome.

These examples are given in chronological order based on their publishing date on YouTube with the oldest date given first.

Example #1: Superman



U.S. Drill Sergeant Field Recordings - Topic, Published on Oct 17, 2015

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises

Superman · U.S. Drill Sergeant Field Recordings

50 Running Cadences of the U.S. Military

℗ 2011 Sammy_Cadenza Records
-snip-
transcription:

I don’t know but I think I can
Take the “S” from-ah Superman
Well, early this mornin’, late last night
Me and Superman had a fight
I hit’em in the head with some kryptonite
He was so weak I had to hit’em twice
I hit’em so hard that he went insane
And now I’m datin Lois Lane
Ah Jimmy Olson hit me from the rear
That’s why you saw legs buried here
Well, me and Batman we fought too
I hit’em in the head with the heel of my shoe
I kicked him with the toe, I hit him with the heel
And now I’m sportin the batmobile
Ah cause ya hey-ah
Army
hoo-ah
heyday
Airborne
everyday
Airborne
all the way

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Example #2: SUPERMAN - GREAT RUNNING CADENCE



Double Time Records, Published on Jul 25, 2017
"Superman" from the album 'Running Wild: Cadences of the U.S. Special Forces'.
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transcription:

Here we go
on the move
Here we go
feel the groove
[caller says a line and the rest of the corps repeats that line]
Me and Superman had a fight
I hit’em in the head with kryptonite
I hit’em so hard that he went insane
Guess who’s lovin on Lois Lane
Lois Lane
Insane
Superman
Kryptonite
Hey, Hey
Out of sight
Ah who dat?
Who dat?
Who dat talkin bout the doggone steel
who dat
who dat
who dat talkin bout the doggone first step
All right
Okay
P. T.
Anyway
PT. PT.
[corps responds: Say What?
I said P.T. P.T.
[corps responds]: Say What?
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Words given in italics means that I'm not sure about this transcription.

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Example #3: Superman (Navy SEALs Cadence)



Documentary Recordings, Published on Oct 13, 2017
-snip-
transcription given in the comment section by Jordan Syroney, 2018

"Superman is the man of steel,
But he ain’t no match for a navy seal.

Chief and supe got in a fight,
Chief hit supe with some kryptonite.

Supe fell down to he knees in pain,
Now chief is dating Lois Laine.

Left-left-left-right-left
Left-left-keep it in step
Left-right-left
Lefty-right-left
Left-right-left-right
We love to double time"

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TEXT EXAMPLES OF THIS CADENCE
These text examples are given in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.

1.
From https://www.military-quotes.com/forum/im-looking-some-navy-cadence-page2-t15917.html

"Now Superman was the man of steel,
But he aint no match for a Navy SEAL.
Now Chief and supe, they got in a fight:
Chief hit him in the head with some kryptonite.
Supe fell to his knees in pain--
Now chief's dating Lois Lane.

Well Chief and Batman had one too,
Chief hit him in the head with his shoe.
Hit him in the temple with his left heel,
Now Chief's driving the Batmobile."

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2.
From https://www.armystudyguide.com/content/cadence/running_cadence/me-and-superman-2.shtml "Me And Superman" #2
"Me and Superman got into a fight;
hit him in the head with Kryptonite.
I hit him so hard that I busted his brain;
and now I’m dating Lois Lane.

Me and Batman had it out too;
I kicked him in the head with my combat boot.
I kicked him in the head with my left boot heal;
and now I’m driving that Bat-Mobile.

Me and the Hulk went blow for blow;
but I like green so I let him go.
And I guess you’ve heard about a guy named Flash;
we raced around the track ’till he puked in the grass."

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