Military cadence


A military cadence or cadence call is a call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching. They are counterparts of the military march. Military cadences often take their rhythms from the work being done, much like the sea shanty. Cadences usually have a call and response structure in which one servicemember initiates a line, and the remaining servicemembers complete it, instilling teamwork and camaraderie.

United States Military

The Duckworth Chant

A V-Disc issued in 1944 credits the origin of "The Duckworth Chant" to Private Willie Lee Duckworth of Sandersville, Georgia, an African-American soldier serving in the United States Army.
This original cadence was recorded as "Sound Off":
This cadence, known as the "Duckworth Chant", still exists with variations in the different branches of the U.S. military. Duckworth's simple chant was elaborated on by Army drill sergeants and their trainees, and the practice of creating elaborate marching chants spread to the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy.
A musical version of the chant was recorded by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra on March 7, 1951. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4113A and by EMI on their His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10086.
A variant of that cadence was used in the 1949 film Battleground and in the 1981 film Taps, filmed at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It appears in two versions in the film, both ending in the same cadence.

Jody calls

In the United States, jody calls are named for "Jody", a mythical civilian whose comfortable lifestyle is contrasted with the austerity of military life. Common themes of jody calls include homesickness, the difficulties of military life, personal boasts, and loyalty.

In other countries

During the 2017 Venezuelan protests, a cadence sung by Bolivarian Intelligence Service officers which expresses wanting to kill protesters went viral: "Quisiera tener un puñal de acero para degollar a un maldito guarimbero".

Collected cadences

Some common cadences include:
As soon as 1952, the U.S. Army adopted "The Army Goes Rolling Along" as its service theme song, with the lyric "count off the cadence loud and strong" a reference to Duckworth's cadence. Its melody and lyrics derive from the traditional "When the Caissons Go Rolling Along".
The United States Marine Corps and US Naval Academy use a modified version of the rhyme "Old King Cole", referencing Chesty Puller: "Chesty Puller was a good Marine and a good Marine was he".