MARCHING CADENCES

1) Somewhere there’s a woman Somewhere there’s a father

She’s cryin’ for her man
He’s an airborne ranger
He does the best he can
Refrain:
Don’t cry for me
I don’t need your sympathy
‘Cause I’m an airborne ranger
And that’s all I want to be
Somewhere there’s a mother
She’s prayin’ for her son
He’s an airborne ranger
And his work is never done
(refrain)
His head is bowed in grief
His son was an airborne ranger
And he died for his beliefs
(refrain)
Somewhere there’s a mother
Flag folded in her hands
Her son was an airborne ranger
And he died for his land
(refrain)

2) Airborne ranger, airborne ranger, where have you been

Around the world and back again

Airborne ranger, airborne ranger, how did you go

In a C-130, flying low

Airborne ranger, airborne ranger, how’d you get down

In a T-10 Charlie, big and round

Airborne ranger, airborne ranger, what did you do

I killed a commie for me and you

Airborne ranger, airborne ranger, how’d you get back

In a black and gold body sack

3) Eighty-second
All-American
Pick up your ‘chutes and follow me
I’m the airborne infantry

One-o-one
Screaming eagles
Pick up your ropes and follow me
I’m the air assault infantry

Twenty-fifth
Tropic lightning
Pick up your rucks and follow me
 I’m the light infantry

First division
Big red one
Jump on your tracks and follow me
I’m the mechanized infantry

Seventy-fifth
Black beret
Pick up your weapon and follow me
I’m the ranger infantry

Sixth ID
Patch on my shoulder
Pick up your snowshoes, follow me
I’m the arctic light infantry

ROTC
Patch on my shoulder
Pick up your books and follow me
I’m the trainee infantry

3) Refrain: Oh-oh-oohh-oh *For each stanza, repeat the

second
Oh-oh-oohh-oh time with a higher tone
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh-oh-oohh-oh

*Got a letter in the mail

Go to war or go to jail
(refrain)
Sat me in that barber’s chair
Spun me around, I had no hair
(refrain)
Used to drive a Cadillac
Now I hump it on my back
(refrain)
Used to wear my faded jeans
Now I’m wearing Army green
(refrain)
Dress it right and cover down
Forty inches all around
(refrain)
Used to date a beauty queen
Now I date my M-16
(refrain)
Ain’t no use lookin’ down
Ain’t no discharge on the ground
(refrain)
Ain’t no use in going back
 Jody’s got your Cadillac
(refrain)
Ain’t no use in feelin’ blue
Jody’s got your sister too
(refrain)
They took away my gin and rum
Now I’m up before the sun
(refrain)
Mama, mama can’t you see
What the Army’s done to me
(refrain)
Mama, mama can’t you see
This Army life is killin’ me
(refrain)

4) 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 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
Merry men are we
But none so fair that they can compare to the airborne infantry*

*The cadence continues on in this manner, with a verse about a higher rank and
repeating all of the ranks before. The following verses are sung with these lyrics:

sergeants three Left, right, left said the sergeants

LT’s three What do I do, said the LT’s
captains three Take that hill, said the captains
majors three Who’s shining my boots said the majors
colonels three Where’s my star said the colonels
generals three War, war, war said the generals

5) Count cadence, delay cadence (whoooaah~)

Count cadence, delay cadence
(one) All you soldiers
(two) You better do your best
(three) Before you find yourself
(four) In the leaning rest

(one) Hit it
(two) Kick it
(three) Stab it
(four) Kill it
 one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four
we like it here
we love it here
we’ve finally found a home
a home
a home
a home away from home

6) Tiny bubbles Tiny bubbles

In my beer In my whiskey
Makes me happy Makes me happy
Full of cheer Fine and dandy

Tiny bubbles Tiny bubbles

In my wine In my soda
Makes me happy Makes me happy
All the time Like it oughtta

7) Everywhere we go-oh
People wanna know-oh
Who we are
Where we come from
So we tell them
We are _____ (Alpha, Bravo, etc.)
Mighty, mighty Alpha
Rough n’ tough Alpha
Straight shooting Alpha
Better than Bravo
Big baby Bravo
Better than Charlie
Chicken, chicken Charlie
Better than Delta
Dumb-and-dumber Delta
Better than Echo
Icky, icky Echo
We are Alpha
Mighty, mighty Alpha

8) We are ____ platoon* *(or company, etc.)

And we like to party
Party hardy
Party hardy all night long

Group: Your left, your left, your left, right, get on down
Your left, your left, your left, right, get on down
Now drop, recover, beat your face
____ platoon’s* gonna rock this place
Say hooah, check it out, check it out
 Say hooah, check it out, check it out, say ahh

9) They say that in the Army, the chow is mighty fine

Chicken jumped off the table and started marking time

Refrain: Oh, Lord I wanna go

But they won’t let me go (group ends this line with “home”
Stretched out over 8 paces, and a “hey” on the right foot to
End the refrain).

They say that in the Army, the pay is mighty fine

They give you a hundred dollars and take back ninety-nine

They say that in the Army, the coffee’s mighty fine

It looks like muddy water, and tastes like turpentine

They say that in the Army, the biscuits are mighty fine
One rolled off the table, and killed a friend of mine

They say that in the Army, the shoes are mighty fine
Your ask for size eleven and they give you a size nine

They say that in the Army, the pancakes are mighty fine
You can try to chew on them, but you’re only wasting time

They say that in the Army, the beds are mighty fine
But how the heck would I know, I’ve never slept in mine

They say that in the Army, the mail is mighty great

Today I got a letter dated 1948

They say that in the Army, the buses are mighty fine
One went ‘round the corner, and left three wheels behind

They say that in the Army, the liquor’s mighty fine

It’s good for cuts and bruises and tastes like iodine