C-130 | Military Cadence
(Lyrics & History)
To the US Military, the long-standing tradition of singing call-and-response songs while marching, rucking, and running is a familiar sound. Originating with a young Soldier, Private Willie Lee Duckworth in 1944, the "Jodies," "Jody calls," or "cadences" as they are often called have become ingrained into military culture. Often taking on an arguably offensive tone, many of these cadences are full of violence, war crimes, and worse. All of this, to harden the minds of young troops who've not experienced the harshness of war.
On the less objectionable side, there are branch-specific cadences used to prop up the organization, unit, school, etc. C-130 is one such example, telling a first-person story from the perspective of a paratrooper. The "Airborne Ranger" lives in Army tradition as the man's man. This is the guy we sing about, who always seems to save the day.
Lyrics
Easy run
Two miles
Have some fun
Three miles
Gotta run
Four miles
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In the sun
Five miles
Gonna be
Motivated
Dedicated
Hollywood
Looking good
Gonna jump
Gonna run
PT, PT
Too good
I can do it
I can run
All day
All night
Meant to be,
Fit to fight
Drivin on
Airborne (3x)
C-130 rolling down the strip
Airborne ranger gonna take a little trip
We gon’ stand up, hook up, shuffle to the door
We gon’ jump right up, then count to four
My main don’t open, use my reserve
Reserve don’t open, I lose my nerve
‘Cause I’m Airborne
Alright
I can ride
I can fly
All day
All night
Related Products
Listen to this cadence:
Song Name: C-130
Album Name: Cadences Volume 2
by Jonathan Michael Fleming
DISCLAIMERS:
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The lyrics and music to the above cadence are not original to me. To the best of my knowledge, the song is in the public domain, as the author is unknown and has simply been handed down generation-to-generation within the US military.
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The views and opinions presented herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its Components. Appearance of, or reference to, any commercial products or services does not constitute DoD endorsement of those products or services. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute DoD endorsement of the linked websites, or the information, products or services therein.