Posted on 09/22/2005 1:56:42 PM PDT by Steve Newton
The old sergeants platoon was behind the wire today and standing down for a well earned rest. As the sergeant was walking across the compound, headed toward his office, he heard the sound of a marching cadence. Ever the sergeant he walked toward the sound until he found the goon squad, sitting in the shade of a building, signing Jodies.
(Excerpt) Read more at steven.newton1.home.att.net ...
The old sergeants platoon was behind the wire today and standing down for a well earned rest. As the sergeant was walking across the compound, headed toward his office, he heard the sound of a marching cadence. Ever the sergeant he walked toward the sound until he found the goon squad, sitting in the shade of a building, signing Jodies.
Momma, momma, can't you see? Look what the Army's done to me. ... They took away my faded jeans; Now I'm wearing Army green. They took away my gin and rum; Now I'm up before the sun...
Then:
Whoa-whoa, whoa, whoa. ... I used to have the high school queen; Now I've got my M-16. I used to drive a Chevrolet; Now I'm running every day...
“Hey Pappy,” the squad leader called in greeting. “Come and help us make up a few new cadences.”
The old sergeant sat down and listened for a while. Some of the Jodies they sang were old and brought back memories for pappy. Some good and some not so good.
Drip-drop, drip-pe-ty-drip-drop; Sit-tin' on a hill-top, raindrops on my head; My baby left me, she left me for dead...
Finally they all settled down to a little comradery talk.
“I suppose you ladies know where the very first cadence, or “Jodie” came from right?” Pappy inquired. At the blank look on their faces he continued:
“Soldiers have been signing while they marched probably as long as there have been armies. During the Revolutionary War, American marching troops took special pleasure in singing Yankee Doodle – the song the British had used to taunt them -- back to the defeated Redcoats.”
“Through the years, other military marching songs arose. During the Civil War, The Battle Hymn of the Republic and When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again sent blood pumping through Yankee and Rebel veins.”
“In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Over There and The Caisson Song were popular among marching troops. The official Army song, The Army Goes Rolling Along, even urges soldiers to count off the cadence loud and strong.
“But the first ever recorded cadence or Jodie was over 60 years ago. AND BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING LADIES, NO I WAS NOT ALIVE THEN Anyway, as the story goes, a formation of exhausted troops was returning to its barracks at Fort Slocum, N.Y., in May 1944 when a rhythmic chant arose from the columns.”
“Pvt. Willie Duck-worth, a black soldier on detached service with Fort Slocum's Provisional Training Center, sang out the first-ever rendition of Sound-off, Sound-off; 1-2; Sound-off; 3-4; Count cadence; 1-2-3-4; 1-2 -- 3-4. Other soldiers in the formation joined in and their dragging feet picked up momentum.”
“At a time when black soldiers' achievements were just being acknowledged by many in the Army, the Duckworth Chant, as Duckworth's cadence came to be called, got noticed. Col. Bernard Lentz, Fort Slocum's commander, recognized it as a way to keep his soldiers in step while boosting unit pride and camaraderie.” “Hey, you mean Jodies were invented by an African America?” The goon squad leader asked.
“Yep.” Said Pappy. And nobody seems to know for sure when the Duckworth Chant became known as the jody call. In fact, nobody's even sure who Jody is.”
“In the many cadence calls that disparage Jody's name, Jody is the guy back home, trying to court a soldier's wife or girlfriend or sister. And as more women joined the ranks, Jody also came to represent the woman out to seduce a husband or boyfriend.”
“In either case, Jody is a civilian enjoying the comforts of home while the soldier sweats it out in the field or overseas. And soldiers love to console themselves by singing about Jody.
“Remember this one?” Ain't no use in going home; Jody's got your girl and gone. Ain't no use in feeling blue; Jody's got your sister, too. Ain't no use in lookin' back; Jody's got your Cadillac...
“Whatever the case Jodies have been used by the military every since to build unit cohesion, increase morale and give a lift when the troops need it the most.”
“So, you ladies have learned something new today, right?”
“Right pappy.” One of the goon squad said. “We learned that Jodies were invented by the army to make us work harder.”
Pappy just shook his head and as he walked off he could still here them:
One mile, no sweat. Two miles, better yet. Three miles, think about it. Four miles, thought about it. Five miles, feeling good like I should...
WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR JODIES!
Steve Newton All the Old Sergeant stories are fictional http://steven.newton1.home.att.net/ steven.newton1@att.net Data obtained from Donna Miles DoD Book one now for sale
Interesting story -- except it's spelled singing!
I thought these was about a bunch of deaf people at first.
I wanna be an Airborne Ranger
Live a life of blood and danger
Just two things that I can't stand
A bald-headed woman and a straight-leg man
BTTT
He's Bill Clinton.
Sorry my friend.
Knew I should have edited it.
But glad you liked it.
Steve
Sgt's face was turning green
Cause someone pissed in his canteen
Sgt's face was turning black
Cuz someone sh@t in his knapsak
to the left to the left
to the left right left
I will never forget that from the 82nd when I was a kid and we were stationed there. Much to my mother's chagrin.
All the Way!
Aww yes. I remember that one now.
Thank you.
Steve
OUTSTANDING
Thank you.
And ALL THE WAY!
Steve
Ha
You know,-------hum.
We could make up a Jodie with his name.
Now let me see----
Steve
No problem. It just threw me for a minute! I loved the story. I've always enjoyed hearing the military chanting in movies, etc. -- never needing to use it myself.
From Combat Magazine
JODY CALL : rhythmic chants or rhyming songs intended to coordinate marching tempo, sometimes shortened to JODY; probably derived from labor songs that paced the work and maintained the processing order. These songs, along with country and blues, share the common miseries of ordinary people, featuring the archetypal JODY as villain or rake, who typically wins the soldier's pay and possessions, seduces the serviceman's wife and dog! See CADENCE, HEP, CHANTEY, HOISE. [nb: some revisionists, by ignoring the extensive history of martial music and work songs going back to ancient China and early Rome, are "crediting" segregated Negro troops with the 'invention' of CADENCE calls for the improvement of morale during training in WWII, specifically an impromptu "Sound Off" CADENCE call initiated by PVT Willie Duckworth while marching in the Provisional Training Center of Fort Slocum, New York, in May 1944, and later identified as the "Duckworth Chant" in folklore. It's another insidious myth and pernicious lie perpetrated upon the gullible by self-anointed elitists! The similarity of JODY to every carpetbagger and scalawag argues demonstrably for a 19th Century development, as does the word 'cadence' in early Army songs ("count off the cadence loud and strong"), but even more is the persistence of sea chanteys by sailors laboring at common tasks.]
......in May 1944 .....
So by December '44. the 101st Airborne in Bastonge had taken up the practice so they could proudly march out, shot up with heads held high, as William Bendix led them.
That's the way the movie portrayed the scene.
Could be
But the info came from the DoD.
Hum. Now thats saying something isn't it.
And your right they were segregated. As the story illustrates.
Good points
Steve
oh yes
http://users.erols.com/loriryan/history.html
Steve
Aww yes.
Need to watch that one again.
Steve
This one is ceremonial more than everyday and is played in the museum at Bragg (or was). I did hear this on the streets though. Somehow I imagine newer members just to teach and "shake" them.
Is everybody happy
Said the sergeant looking up
Our hero feebly answered "Yes"
And then they hooked him up,
He jumped into the slipstream,
And he twisted twenty times,
And he ain't going to jump no more.
Chorus:
|: Glory glory what a hell of a way to die,
Glory glory what a hell of a way to die,
And he ain't going to jump no more.
2. He counted loud, he counted long
And waited for the shock
He felt the wind, he felt the air,
He felt that awful drop,
He pulled his lines, the silk came down
And wrapped around his legs
And he ain't going to jump no more.
Chorus:
3. The days he lived and loved and laughed
Kept running through his mind
He thought about the medics
And wondered what they would find,
He thought about the girl back home,
The one he left behind.
And he ain't going to jump no more.
Chorus:
4. The lines all wrapped around his neck,
The D rings broke his dome,
His lift webs wrapped themselves
In knots around each skinny bone,
His canopy became his shroud
As he hurtled to the ground ,
And he ain't going to jump no more.
Chorus:
5. The ambulance was on the spot,
The jeeps were running wild,
The medics, they clapped their hands
And rolled their sleeves and smiled,
For it had been a week or more,
Since last a chute had failed,
And he ain't going to jump no more.
Chorus:
6. He hit the ground, the sound was "splat",
The blood went spurting high,
His pals were heard to say
Oh what a lovely way to die,
They rolled him up still in his chute,
And poured him from his boots,
And he ain't going to jump no more.
Chorus:
7. There was blood upon his lift webs,
There was blood upon his chute,
Blood that came a trickling
From his paratrooper boots,
And there he lay like jelly
In the welter of his gore,
And he ain't going to jump no more.
Very very nice
Thank you
I may have to make a "Jodie" site
Steve
I was a classics major at one time and recall reading where ancient Greek armies marched with music. I think I can even recall seeing paintings of slaves (maybe) playing flutes in front of the soldiers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.