http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_cadence#.22Jody_calls.22"Jody calls"
In the United States, what are now known as cadences were called
jody call or
jody (also
jodie) from a recurring character, a
civiliannamed "Jody" whose luxurious lifestyle is contrasted with military
deprivations in a number of traditional calls. The mythical Jody refers
to a civilian who remains at home instead of joining the military
service. Jody is often presumed to be medically unfit for service, a
4Fin World War II parlance. Jody also lacks the desirable attributes of
military men. He is neither brave nor squared-away. Jody calls often
make points with ironic humor. Jody will take advantage of your
girlfriend in your absence. Jody stays at home, drives the soldier's
car, and gets the soldier's sweetheart (often called "Susie") while the
soldier is in
boot camp or
in country. (Serendipitously, the name works just as well for female soldiers.)
The name derives from a stock character in African-American
oral traditions, "Joe the Grinder,"[url=http://missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu/Missouri%20Folklore%20Studies/Cadence%20Calls.htm][3][/url] who is also prominent in
Merle Haggard's song "The Old Man of the Mountain."[url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/old-man-from-the-mountain-lyrics-merle-haggard.html][4][/url]
The character's name has been transcribed as "Joady," "Jody," "Jodie,"
"Joe D.", or even "Joe the ____" (in dialect, "Joe de ____") with Joe
then identified by occupation. He was a stock anti-hero who maliciously
took advantage of another man's absence. Enlisted African-American
soldiers incorporated this character into cadence songs during the
Second World War.
Lineberry emphasizes conflicting uses of the calls: they are useful
to command, in that they serve as instruments to psychologically detach
the soldier from home-life, and to inculcate a useful degree of
aggression. They are useful to the soldier, who can vent
dissatisfaction without taking individual responsibility for the
expression.
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_cadence#cite_note-missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu-4][5][/url] While jodies, strictly speaking, are
folklore (they are not taught institutionally, and do not appear, for example, in FM 22-5,
Drill and Ceremonies Field Manual), some are tolerated and even encouraged by leadership, while others are subversive.
[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_cadence#cite_note-missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu-4][5][/url]Common themes in jodies include:
- Homesickness.
- Quotidian complaints about military life.
- Boasts (of one's own unit) and insults (of one's competitor, which may be another unit, another service branch, or the enemy.)
- Humorous and topical references.
Lineberry offers an alternative, psychologically and
functionally-oriented taxonomy. There are negative themes (disrespect
expressed for deities, women, homosexuals, the enemy and economically
deprived comrades; graphic expression of violence perpetrated on women
and the enemy, glorification of substance abuse) but also positive
(unit pride, encouragement of comrades) and perhaps in-between,
expressions of contempt for death and indifference to mortality.[url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_cadence#cite_note-missourifolkloresociety.truman.edu-4][5][/url]
<dl>
<dd>My honey heard me comin' on my left right on left</dd>
<dd>I saw Jody runnin' on his left right on left</dd>
<dd>I chased after Jody and I ran him down</dd>
<dd>Poor ol' boy doesn't feel good now</dd>
</dl>
<dl>
<dd>M.P.s came a runnin on their left right on left</dd>
<dd>The medics came a runnin' on their left right on left</dd>
<dd>He felt a little better with a few I.V.s</dd>
<dd>Son I told you not to mess with them ELEVEN Bs (the designation for infantry in the Army)</dd>
</dl>
One from the U.S. Marine Corps:
<dl>
<dd>Jody, Jody six feet four</dd>
<dd>Jody never had his ass kicked before.</dd>
<dd>I'm gonna take a three-day pass</dd>
<dd>And really slap a beating on Jody's ass!</dd>
</dl>
At the end of the 1949 movie
Battleground (film) the cadence sung is as follows, with the call initiated by the drill sergeant and the
response from the rest of the platoon:
You had a good home but you left / You're right
You had a good home but you left / You're right
Jody was there when you left / You're right
Your baby was there when you left / You're right
Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!
They signed you up for the length of the war /
<dl> <dd>I've never had it so good before</dd> </dl> The best you'll get in a biv-ou-ac /
<dl> <dd>Is a whiff of cologne from a passing WAC</dd> </dl> Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!
There ain't no use in going back /
<dl> <dd>Jody's livin' it up in the shack</dd> </dl> Jody's got somethin' you ain't got /
<dl> <dd>It's been so long I almost forgot</dd> </dl> Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4! |
Your baby was lonely, as lonely could be /
<dl> <dd>Til Jody provided the company</dd> </dl>
Ain't it great to have a pal /
<dl> <dd>Who works so hard just to keep up morale</dd> </dl>
Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4!
You ain't got nothin' to worry about /
<dl> <dd>He'll keep her happy until I get out</dd> </dl> An' you won't get home til the end of the war /
<dl> <dd>In nineteen hundred and seventy four</dd> </dl> Sound off! / 1,2
Sound off! / 3,4
Cadence count! / 1,2,3,4,1,2...3,4! |