Military cadence In the armed services , a military cadence or cadence call is a traditional call - and - response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching . In the United States , these cadences are sometimes called jody calls or jodies , after " Jody " , a recurring character who figures in some traditional cadences . Requiring no instruments to play , they are counterparts in oral military folklore of the military march . As a sort of work song , military cadences take their rhythm s from the work being done ( compare " sea shanty " ) . Many cadences have a call and response structure of which one soldier initiates a line , and the remaining soldiers complete it , thus instilling teamwork and camaraderie for completion . The cadence calls move to the beat and rhythm of the normal speed ( quick time ) march or running - in - formation ( double time ) march . This serves the purpose of keeping soldiers " dressed " , moving in step as a unit and in formation , while maintaining the correct beat or cadence . The word " cadence " was applied to these work songs because of an earlier meaning , in which it meant the number of steps a marcher or runner took per minute . The cadence was set by a drummer or sergeant and discipline was extremely important , as keeping the cadence directly affected the travel speed of infantry . There were other purposes : the " close - order drill " was a particular cadence count for the complex sequence of loading and firing a musket . In the Revolutionary War , Baron von Steuben notably imported European battlefield techniques which persist , greatly modified , to this day . " The Duckworth Chant " ( or " Sound Off ! " ) . A V - Disc issued in 1944 credits the origin of " Sound Off " ( " The Duckworth Chant " ) to Private Willie Duckworth , an African American soldier serving in the then segregated US 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 sergeant s 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 ( Voc . : Vaughn Monroe & Chorus in New York City ) on March 7 , 1951 . It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20 - 4113A ( in USA ) and by EMI on the His Master ' s Voice label as catalog number B 10086 . A variant of that cadence was used in the 1981 movie Taps filmed in Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne , Pennsylvania in 1980 - 1981 , It appears in two versions in the film , both ending in the same cadence . Collected cadences . Some common cadences collected at the US Naval Academy 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 Caisson s Go Rolling Along " . " Jody calls " . In the US , what are now known as cadences were called " jody calls " or " jody " ( also " jodie " ) from a recurring character , a civilian named " 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 4F in WWII 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 a servicemember ' s girlfriend in their 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 " . The name derives from a stock character in African - American oral tradition s , " Joe the Grinder , " who is also prominent in Merle Haggard ' s song " The Old Man from the Mountain . " 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 . While jodies , strictly speaking , are folklore ( they are not taught institutionally , and do not appear , for example , in FM 3 - 21 . 5 , " Drill and Ceremonies Field Manual " ) , some are tolerated and even encouraged by leadership , while others are subversive . Common themes in jodies include : 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 . One example used in the US Army : One from the US Marine Corps : At the end of the 1949 movie " Battleground " , 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 " < br > You had a good home but you left / " You ' re right " < br > Jody was there when you left / " You ' re right " < br > Your baby was there when you left / " You ' re right " < br > Sound off ! / " 1 , 2 " < br > Sound off ! / " 3 , 4 " < br > Cadence count ! / " 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 1 , 2 . . . 3 , 4 ! " < br > They signed you up for the length of the war / The best you ' ll get in a biv - ou - ac / Sound off ! / " 1 , 2 " < br > Sound off ! / " 3 , 4 " < br > Cadence count ! / " 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 1 , 2 . . . 3 , 4 ! " < br > There ain ' t no use in going back / Jody ' s got somethin ' you ain ' t got / Sound off ! / " 1 , 2 " < br > Sound off ! / " 3 , 4 " < br > Cadence count ! / " 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 1 , 2 . . . 3 , 4 ! " Your baby was lonely , as lonely could be / Ain ' t it great to have a pal / Sound off ! / " 1 , 2 " < br > Sound off ! / " 3 , 4 " < br > Cadence count ! / " 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 1 , 2 . . . 3 , 4 ! " < br > You ain ' t got nothin ' to worry about / An ' you won ' t get home til the end of the war / Sound off ! / " 1 , 2 " < br > Sound off ! / " 3 , 4 " < br > Cadence count ! / " 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 1 , 2 . . . 3 , 4 ! " Reverent . Reverent calls are an effort by personnel in armed forces to rebuild the tradition of oratory recounting of military history in the convention of cadences . The effect this instills is a greater reverence in the squad performing and for the force whose story is retold in honorable PT ( Physical Training ) . Each branch of an armed force has its stories , and an example of the base used is the 75th Ranger Regiment ( Infantry ' s " Airborne Ranger " ) in which references to WWII for example are included to complement the story . To Hear this Cadence : " USA Airborne Rangers Cadence " , " Youtube . com " . Comedic . Comedic calls are often born of reverent calls but sung for comedic value using clean calls , pop - culture references , and jokes to make PT more fun and entertaining . A popular example from the film " Stripes " was " Why did the chicken cross the road ? " " To get from the left to the right . " " Stepped out of rank , got hit by a tank . " " He ain ' t a chicken no more . " Prior to women being commonplace in Army ranks , misogynistic comedic cadences were more prevalent . Example : And so on . Controversial . Obscene , scatological , or controversial jody calls exist , and were typical , especially during and before the Vietnam War . The use of such calls is now discouraged by the US military , which instead emphasizes " clean " versions of traditional jodies . The flexibility of jodies is nearly unlimited , and old jodies have always been revived or rewritten as times and wars change . Airborne Ranger : My Drill Instructor An example of one such call is the first stanza of " Yellow Bird " : In the last line , the word ' little ' is frequently used to replace profanity . This is an example of the minor tweaks that frequently occur in cadences depending on the particular military unit or installation they are used at . A particular cadence , when used by an infantry or other combat arms unit may include explicit profanity , while the same cadence , when used by a training or medical unit , or especially if officers are present , may be censored to a degree , as above . The second verse to the preceding cadence : One from the U . S . Navy : An excerpt from the popular " When I Go to Heaven " , also known as " How ' d Ya Earn Your Living " or " When I Get to Heaven " Another , more modern example of a Controversial cadence popular through the US Navy : The Marine cadence " I Went to the Market " is another vulgar cadence . Another closely related is as followed . The following verses are from " Napalm Sticks to Kids . " One of the most notorious cadences of Vietnam , its use by the U . S . military created controversy about the theme . The messages chanted by recruits may promote brutal treatment of civilians and the themes even suggest that troops should aspire to kill civilians gathered in public areas . A number of Iraq War veterans now speak publicly that they have felt uncomfortable reciting cadences with such violent themes . Non - military cadences . Police . Police personnel who train in para - military fashion also have acquired the tradition for its recruits in the police academy . However , the " lyrics " are changed for law enforcement , for example : Fire academy . Fire academies in the U . S . often train in a para - military style . The following is a common cadence heard in the Fire Academy ( Originally by the Marines )