Controversial
Obscene, scatological, or controversial jody calls exist, and were typical, especially during and before the Vietnam War. The use of such calls is now discouraged by the US military, which instead emphasizes "clean" versions of traditional jodies. The flexibility of jodies is nearly unlimited, and old jodies have always been revived or rewritten as times and wars change.
- Your left
- Your left
- Your left right left
- My back aches
- My belts too tight
- My balls shake
- From left to right
- I don't know but I've been told
- Eskimo Pussy is mighty cold
- Sound off 1, 2
- Sound off 3, 4
Airborne Ranger:
- Two old ladies lying in bed
- One rolled over to the other and said,
- "I wanna be an Airborne Ranger
- Live a life of sex and danger
- Blood, guts, sex, and danger
- That's the life of an Airborne Ranger!"
- I wanna be an airborne ranger
- I wanna live the life of danger
- Airborne Ranger
- Life of Danger
- I wanna be a scuba diver
- Swimmin' those oceans wider and wider
- Scuba Diver, wider and wider
- Airborne Ranger, life of danger
- Paramedic, shoot that funky anesthetic
- Paramedic, anesthetic
- Mountain climber, climb those mountains higher and higher
- Mountain climber, higher and higher
- Navy Pilot, if it's got wings then I can fly it
- Navy pilot, I can fly it
- I wanna be an airborne ranger,
- Live the life of guts and danger.
- Airborne ranger,
- Life of danger.
- I wanna be a scuba diver,
- Swim around in the muddy water.
- Scuba diver, muddy water.
- Airborne ranger, life of danger.
- I wanna be an S.F. medic,
- Shoot some funky anesthetic.
- S.F.medic, anesthetic.
- Scuba diver, muddy water.
- Airborne ranger, guts and danger.
- And when I retire.
- I'm gonna be a Texas ranger,
- Drive around in skin-tight wranglers!
- Texas ranger, skin-tight wranglers.
- I'm gonna be a UPS man,
- Drive around in a ugly brown van.
- UPS man, ugly brown van
- Texas ranger, skin-tight wranglers.
- I'm gonna be a forest ranger.
- Chipmunks are my greatest danger.
- Forest ranger, chipmunk danger.
- UPS man, ugly brown van.
- Forest ranger, chipmunk danger.
My Drill Instructor
- The Army calls 'em drill sergeants,
- The Navy calls 'em RDC's,
- The Air Force calls 'em their TI's;
- But mine is strictly a DI:
- "Drill Instructor," then his rank
- Unless you want to play games,
- Never "sir" or something more
- Or my face is on the floor.
- If I called him "Drill Sergeant,"
- He'd take me out to the pit.
- If I called him a TI,
- He'd make me feel like I would die.
- If I called him RDC,
- He'd make an example out of me.
- So make sure you get it right,
- Or you'll end up in his sights.
An example of one such call is the first stanza of Yellow Bird:
- A yellow bird with a yellow bill
- Was sittin' on my window sill
- I lured him in with a piece of bread
- And then I smashed his little head
- (REPEAT)
In the last line, the word 'little' is frequently used to replace profanity. This is an example of the minor tweaks that frequently occur in cadences depending on the particular military unit or installation they are used at. A particular cadence, when used by an infantry or other combat arms unit may include explicit profanity, while the same cadence, when used by a training or medical unit, or especially if officers are present, may be censored to a degree, as above.
The second verse to the preceding cadence:
- The moral of
- The story is,
- To get some head
- You need some bread
{REPEAT}
One from the U.S. Navy:
- I wanna be a Navy pilot
- I wanna fly an F-14
- I wanna fly with the cockpit open
- I wanna hear those commies scream
An excerpt from the popular "When I Go to Heaven", also known as "How'd Ya Earn Your Living" or "When I Get to Heaven"
- When I go to bars
- The girls they will say
- How did you earn your living
- How did you earn your pay
- And my reply was with a cold kind of nod
- I earn my living killing commies for my God
- When I go home
- The hippies they will say
- How did you earn your living
- How did you earn your pay
- And I replied as I pulled out my knife
- Get out of my way before I take yo' life
Another, more modern example of a Controversial cadence popular through the US Navy:
- I don't know, but it's been said
- Air Force wings are made of lead
- I don't know, but I've been told
- Navy wings are made of gold
- He-ey Ar-rmy
- Ba-ack packing Ar-my
- Put on your packs and follow me
- I'm in the U.S. Navy
- He-ey Air Force
- Lo-ow flying Air Force
- Get in your planes and follow me
- I'm in the U.S. Navy
- He-ey Coast Guard
- Pud-dle pirate Coast Guard
- Get in your boats and follow me
- I'm in the U.S. Navy
- He-ey Marines
- bullet-sponge marine corps
- Pick up your rifles and follow me
- I'm in the U.S. Navy
The Marine cadence "I Went to the Market" is another vulgar cadence.
- I went to the market
- Where all the families shop
- I pulled out my Ka-bar
- And started to chop
- To the left right left right left right kill
- Left right left right you know I will
- I went to the church
- Where all the families pray
- I pulled out my machine gun
- And started to spray
- To the left right left right left right kill
- Left right left right you know I will
The following verses are from "Napalm Sticks to Kids." One of the most notorious cadences of Vietnam, its use by the U.S. military created controversy about the theme.
- Bomb the village
- Kill the people
- Throw some napalm in the square
- Do it on a Sunday morning
- Kill them on their way to prayer
- Ring the bell inside the schoolhouse
- Watch the kiddies gather round
- Lock and load with your 240
- Mow them little motherfuckers down
The messages chanted by recruits may promote brutal treatment of civilians and the themes even suggest that troops should aspire to kill civilians gathered in public areas. A number of Iraq War veterans now speak publicly that they have felt uncomfortable reciting cadences with such violent themes.
Read more about this topic: Military Cadence