Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-02-07
WHAT BUGLE CALLS
SAY TO THE SOLDIER
No,es That Direct Men in Army Ser.
vioe Have Words Just as Does
the Popular Song Of To-day
MEN soON LEARN THEM
Is One Of the Means Used by the
Government TO f~amiliariEe With
What Cabs Stand For

CAMP FUNSTON, Kan, Feb. 6-i
The first thing that a newly arrived
National Army man hears when he
enters Camp Funston is a bugle call.
and he finds that after he had become
a soldier, nearly every movement he
makes is directed by the notes Of his
company bugler. A call is the first
thing he hears in the morning-and
the last at night Il is the first thing
he must learn 10 know when he be-
comes a soldier. and when his Hfe's
work is complete, the call is played
over the little pipe box, the most beau
tful one Of all. is the n that sings
the men to sleep-taps.
The buglers and their calls are pro-
sided for in the service regulations
Nothing is said, however, about
words to them-but from the earliest
days Of the American army there
have been verses. Every call has it's
" words in the minds Of the dough-
boys, and there are as many varia-
tons as there are organizations.
The reveine call is the first in .he
morning, and is probably the best
known to the eivilian-and most I'M
popular with the soldier. The Oldest
verse set TO it's tune follows:
| can't get EN-, | can't get 'em up,
can't get EN- up in the morning.
can't get 'em up, l can't get 'em up,
can't get 'em up at all.
Corp'rals worse than the privates,
Sergeants worse than the corporals,
Lieutenants worse than the Sergeants,
and tn Captains worst of all.
Then the chorus is strong with a.
can't get 'em up, etc"
The words to the mess call are an
other standard verse. This is the most
popular call in the army and never
has to be repeated. 1t is a curious
fact that none of the men have any
trouble hearing it plainly at it's first
sounding. Here is the verse:
SOup-y, sOup-y, soup-y, without a
single bean;
Perky, pork-y, pork-y without a
streak Of lean;
Coffee, coffee, coffee, without any
cream.
Sick calhis just as adapted to camp
life at Funston as the others. 1t goes
like this:
Come and get your quinine, come and
get your pills;
o, come and get your quinine, come
and get your pills.
The stable call that sounds when it
comes time for the Funston mule
SINNERS to feed and water their
"hardtails" is a little more poetical:
Come all who are able, and go to the
stable,
And water your horses and give EN-
some corn.
For if you don't do it the Colonel will
know it,
And then you will rue it as sure as
you're born.
The last call Of the soldiers day,
the one that follows flights out" and
puts him to sleep in whatever part of
the world he may happen to be is the
most beautiful of them all. Taps has
a singularly soothing sound to The
tired Funston boy as he o sleep
on his cot after the strenuous day of
training. 1t has several versions of
which here is one:
Fades the night, and after, goeth the
day;
Cometh the night;
And a star, leadeth all, speedeth all,
To their rest.
When a soldier has "gone west" as
death is known in the army, taps is |
sounded as he is being lowered into :
the grave. The words to the final call
are:
When your last day is past,
From afar, some bright star,
Ger your grave, watch will keep,