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War With a Soldier | Military Cadence
(Lyrics & History)

The US military has been known for their tradition of singing while marching since WW2. Originating with the Army in 1944, the custom of calling cadence, or singing "jodies" has been a staple in training, PT, and drill in all branches. The style came from African work songs, introduced by PVT Willie Lee Duckworth, a black soldier from Georgia who used the call-and-response style to motivate his fellow-soldiers after long days of work.

Through the years, cadences have evolved to include a shocking and sometimes offensive tone. The violent nature of some cadences has been used to mentally prepare new trainees for the realities of their work. The following cadence "War With a Soldier" boasts about the reasons why soldiers should not be tested.

Lyrics

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No limit to the limit, I thought I told ya
You don’t wanna go to war with a soldier

Ooh, ah, I wanna slap somebody

No limit to the limit, I thought I told ya
You don’t wanna go to war with a solider

Ooh, ah, I wanna hurt somebody
Ooh, ah, I wanna leave them bloody

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Listen to this cadence:

No limit to the limit, I thought I told ya
You don’t wanna go to war with a soldier

Ooh, ah, I wanna kill somebody
Ooh, ah, I wanna bury their body

Motivated, dedicated, I thought I told ya
You don’t wanna go to war with a soldier

Song Name: War With a Soldier
Album Name: Cadences Volume 2
by Jonathan Michael Fleming

DISCLAIMERS:

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.

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.

Lyrics

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