Marching song/Cadence Count

Subject: RE: Marching song/Cadence Count
From: Lighter
Date: 30 May 20 - 07:51 PM

Long, long ago I visited the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. A "demonstration of chantey singing" was presented aboard the full-rigged "Joseph Conrad." A bunch of us lubbers manned the capstan and someone called for "Blow the Man Down." Stan Hugill was chanteyman. Just before (or maybe after) he sang, some befuddled know-it-all said to him, "But isn't that a halliard chantey?"

Stan frowned and said, "Usually. But they'd sing whatever they wanted."

Anyway, we ran round the capstan singing the choruses largely off-key. After   a while, the "mate" of the "Conrad" shouted, "'Vast heaving!" Stan shut up in the middle of a stanza, and his crew ambled away to do other things.

I suggest that this was an unusually authentic chanteying event. To judge from the quality of the choruses, some of the "crew" may even have been hung over. It struck me as decidedly "not a musical experience," a far cry from even the most "authentic-sounding" (sic) folkie performance.

It was mainly guys (and a couple of gals) exerting themselves in unison and singing because that's what people did on that kind on that kind of job.

And did I mention that some of us wore big grins because it was a *privilege* and *fun* to heave the capstan round ?

Subject: RE: Marching song/Cadence Count
From: GUEST,Stephen Lewis
Date: 31 Jul 21 - 12:49 AM

Left, left, left, right, left,
Left my wife and 48 kids in a starving position,
Without any gingerbread.
Did I do right, right, right for my country
Who needed me most to guard the gates
Of Humphrey Dingledorf?
Left, left, left, right, left ...

Subject: RE: Marching song/Cadence Count
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 31 Jul 21 - 12:06 PM

It's all celeusma.

The show ain't over until the big girl sings, and what does she sing? Ho yo to ho... a cadence!

An "aire" was once a route march pace. Work song chorus sounds... constipated. Never thought about it that way but, same latin root as stevedore.

Subject: RE: Marching song/Cadence Count
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Aug 21 - 03:12 PM

Left my home and 44 children just because I thought it was right, right,
Right to the country, yes by jingo, now we switch to the (pause) left, left
Left my home...

Subject: RE: Marching song/Cadence Count
From: GUEST,Linda McAlister
Date: 14 May 22 - 05:52 PM

My memory from girl scout camp many years ago:

Left, left, left, right, left.
I left my wife and 48 kids and an old gray mare and a peanut stand.
Did I do right, right, right from the country where I came from.
Right foot, left foot, switch be-jingle (shifting feet)
Left, left, left, right, left

Subject: RE: Marching song/Cadence Count
From: GUEST,Guest: Susie in Nebraska
Date: 16 Nov 22 - 05:18 PM

My Great Aunt born in 1898 taught me this while we walked to the store.

Left my wife and 48 children in starving condition without any gingerbread. Did I do right? Right?

Right with the World I had a good job but I left, left.

I think there was more but that's all I can remember.....from 1960.

Subject: RE: Marching song/Cadence Count
From: GUEST,blue cat in victoria, bc
Date: 20 Mar 23 - 03:22 AM

I learned this in grade 9 drill team in Texas. It goes like this: I left my wife with 42 kids at home in the kitchen in starving conditions and nothing but gingerbread left, left, left, right, left.