"
The Army Goes Rolling Along" is the official song of the
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
and is typically called "The Army Song."
The song is based on the "
CaissonA limber is a two-wheeled cart designed to support the trail of an artillery piece, allowing it to be towed. A caisson is the assembly of the limber with the arillery piece or other wheeled object pulled by a team of ridden horses....
Song" written by field
artilleryArtillery is a military combat Arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large projectiles in combat. They are generally capable of adding considerable fire power to the military capability of an armed force...
First LieutenantFirst Lieutenant is a military rank.The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
(later
Brigadier GeneralA brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services.-...
)
Edmund L. GruberEdmund Louis "Snitz" Gruber Cincinnati, Ohio and attended the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, from June 19, 1900 to June 15, 1904...
, Lieutenant William Bryden, and Lieutenant (later Major General) Robert Danford while stationed at
Fort StotsenburgFort Stotsenburg, during the World War II era, was the location of the Philippine Department's 26th Cavalry Regiment, 86th Field Artillery Regiment, and 88th Field Artillery Regiment; along with the Philippine Division's 23rd and 24th Field Artillery Regiments. Also based here were the 12th...
in the Philippines in March 1908. The tune quickly became popular in field artillery units.
"
The Army Goes Rolling Along" is the official song of the
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
and is typically called "The Army Song."
The Caisson Song
The song is based on the "
CaissonA limber is a two-wheeled cart designed to support the trail of an artillery piece, allowing it to be towed. A caisson is the assembly of the limber with the arillery piece or other wheeled object pulled by a team of ridden horses....
Song" written by field
artilleryArtillery is a military combat Arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large projectiles in combat. They are generally capable of adding considerable fire power to the military capability of an armed force...
First LieutenantFirst Lieutenant is a military rank.The rank of Lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
(later
Brigadier GeneralA brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed services.-...
)
Edmund L. GruberEdmund Louis "Snitz" Gruber Cincinnati, Ohio and attended the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, from June 19, 1900 to June 15, 1904...
, Lieutenant William Bryden, and Lieutenant (later Major General) Robert Danford while stationed at
Fort StotsenburgFort Stotsenburg, during the World War II era, was the location of the Philippine Department's 26th Cavalry Regiment, 86th Field Artillery Regiment, and 88th Field Artillery Regiment; along with the Philippine Division's 23rd and 24th Field Artillery Regiments. Also based here were the 12th...
in the Philippines in March 1908. The tune quickly became popular in field artillery units. In 1917 the
Secretary of the NavyThe United States Secretary of the Navy is the civilian head of the Department of the Navy. The position was a member of the President's Cabinet until 1947, when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were placed in the Department of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy was placed under the...
and Army Lieutenant George Friedlander of the 306th Field Artillery asked
John Philip SousaJohn Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches...
to create a
marchA march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
using the "Caisson Song." Sousa changed the key, harmony, and rhythm and renamed it "U.S. Field Artillery." The recording sold 750,000 copies. Sousa didn't know who had written the song and had been told that it dated back to the
Civil WarThe American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America...
. Although an Army magazine claims that Sousa passed on his
royaltiesRoyalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property right. Royalties are typically a percentage of gross or net sales derived from use of an asset or a fixed price per unit sold of an item...
to Gruber., other sources state that Gruber became involved in a prolonged legal battle to recover the rights to music he had written and that had been lifted (unknowingly or not) by Sousa and widely sold by sheet music publishers who reaped profits while Gruber received nothing. The music became so popular that it was also used in radio ads by firms such as the Hoover Vacuum Company. Gruber lost his battle in the courts. They ruled that he had waited too long to complain and that his music was by that time in the public domain.
"The Caisson Song" was never designated as the official U.S.Army song likely because the lyrics were too closely identified with the field artillery and not the entire army. The official song retains Gruber's music, but with re-written lyrics.
Search for an Official Song
As the
NavyThe United States Navy is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. As of 31 December 2008, the U.S. Navy had about 331,682 personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 283 ships in active service and more than...
,
Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for providing force projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
,
Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
, and
Coast GuardThe United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of seven uniformed services. It is unique among the military branches in that it has a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency mission as part of its mission set...
had already adopted official songs, the Army was anxious to find a song of its own. In 1948, the Army conducted a contest to find an official song, but no entry received much popular support. In 1952, Secretary of the Army
Frank PaceFrank Pace, Jr. was a United States public official and business executive.-Biography:Pace was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and attended The Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania. In 1933 he graduated from Princeton University, and in 1936 from Harvard University.Pace entered public service in...
asked the music industry to submit songs and received over 800 submissions. "The Army's Always There" by Sam Stept won the contest, and an
Army bandThere are many military bands in the United States military. Some are assigned to specific military bases or units; there are also bands at each of the service academies....
performed it at
PresidentThe President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition...
Dwight D. Eisenhower'sDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was a five-star general in the United States Army and the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. During the Second World War, he served as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe, with responsibility for planning and supervising the...
inaugural parade on January 20, 1953. However, many thought that the tune was too similar to "
I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts"I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts" is a novelty song composed in 1944 by Fred Heatherton, an English songwriter, and celebrates the coconut shy at funfairs....
," so the Army decided to keep Gruber's melody from the "Caisson Song" but with new lyrics. A submission of lyrics by Harold W. Arberg, a music advisor to the
Adjutant GeneralAn Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the Svita...
, was accepted. Secretary of the Army
Wilber Marion BruckerWilber Marion Brucker was an American Republican politician. Born in Saginaw, Michigan, he served as a Republican governor of Michigan from 1931 to 1933 and as the United States Secretary of the Army between 1955 and 1961....
dedicated the music on
Veterans DayVeterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11. However, if it occurs on a Sunday then the following Monday is designated for holiday leave, and if it occurs Saturday then either...
, November 11, 1956. The song is played at the conclusion of most U.S. Army ceremonies, and all soldiers are expected to stand at attention and sing. When more than one service song is played, they are played in the order specified by Army regulations: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard.
Caisson Song (1908, original version)
Over hill over dale we have hit the dusty trail
As our caissons go rolling along.
Up and down, in and out, Countermarch and right about,
And our caissons go rolling along.
For it's hi-hi-hee in the Field Artillery,
Shout out the number loud and strong.
Till our final ride, It will always be our pride
To keep those caissons a rolling along.
(Keep them rolling - keep them rolling)*
Keep those caissons a rolling along.
(B-a-t-t-e-r-y H-a-l-t!)*
U.S. Field Artillery (1917)
(by Gruber, arranged by Sousa, copyright and published by Carl Fischer)
Verse:
- Over hill, over dale
- We have hit the dusty trail,
- And the Caissons go rolling along.
- In and out, hear them shout,
- Counter marching and right about,
- And those Caissons go rolling along.
Refrain:
- For it's hi! hi! hee!
- In the field artillery,
- count out your numbers loud and strong,
- And where e'er you go,
- You will always know
- That the Caissons go rolling along.
Verse:
- In the storm, in the night,
- Action left or action right
- See those Caissons go rolling along
- Limber front, limber rear,
- Prepare to mount your cannoneer
- And those Caissons go rolling along.
Refrain:
- For it's hi! hi! hee!
- In the field artillery,
- Shout out your numbers loud and strong,
- And where e'er you go,
- You will always know
- That the Caissons go rolling along.
Verse:
- Was it high, was it low,
- Where the hell did that one go?
- As those Caissons go rolling along
- Was it left, was it right,
- Now we won't get home tonight
- And those Caissons go rolling along.
Refrain:
- For it's hi! hi! hee!
- In the field artillery,
- Shout out your numbers loud and strong,
- And where e'er you go,
- You will always know
- That the Caissons go rolling along.
The Army Goes Rolling Along (1956, current official version)
typically only the first verse and refrain are sung (not including the intro)
Intro:
- March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free
- Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory
- We're the Army and proud of our name
- We're the Army and proudly proclaim
Verse:
- First to fight for the right,
- And to build the Nation’s might,
- And The Army Goes Rolling Along
- Proud of all we have done,
- Fighting till the battle’s won,
- And the Army Goes Rolling Along.
Refrain:
- Then it's Hi! Hi! Hey!
- The Army's on its way.
- Count off the 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...
loud and strong*
- * "Two! Three!" is typically sung here but is not an official part of the song
- For where e’er we go,
- You will always know
- That The Army Goes Rolling Along.
Verse:
- Valley Forge
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, was the site of the camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 in the American Revolutionary War...
, Custer's George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars who today is most remembered for a disastrous military engagement known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn...
ranks,
- San Juan Hill
The Battle of San Juan Hill is an actual misnomer, but was popularized in the American Press of the day. The actual battle was for the San Juan Heights. The heights were a north-south running elevation about two kilometers east of Santiago de Cuba. The names San Juan Hill and Kettle Hill were...
and Patton's tanksThe Allied invasion of Sicily, codenamed Operation Husky, was a major World War II campaign, in which the Allies took Sicily from the Axis . It was a large scale amphibious and airborne operation, followed by six weeks of land combat. It launched the Italian Campaign.Husky began on the night of...
,
- And the Army went rolling along
- Minute men
Minutemen were members of teams of select men from the American colonial militia during the American Revolutionary War. They provided a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force that allowed the colonies to respond immediately to threats of fellow soldiers in the war . The minutemen were among the...
, from the startThe American Continental Army was an army formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen...
,
- Always fighting from the heart,
- And the Army keeps rolling along.
Verse:
- Men in rags, men who froze,
- Still that Army met its foes,
- And the Army went rolling along.
- Faith in God, then we're right,
- And we'll fight with all our might,
- As the Army keeps rolling along.
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