A quick note of thanks to The O'Meara, Guest razzoo and semi-submersible. Every little bit counts.

Two very similar stanzas, authentically from the U.S. army in World War I:

               The S.O.S. they stayed behind,
               F****** the women and drinking the wine.

               The Y.M.C.A. went over the top,
               They thought they heard a nickel drop.


The "S.O.S." (Service of Supply) was the WWI name for the Quartermaster Corps.

With no USO in WWI, the YMCA set up numerous "canteens" behind the lines where off-duty soldiers could get coffee and doughnuts, cigarettes, etc. The American girls who workd there were also an attraction. Combat troops and others were understandably irked to find that the Y *charged* for refreshments.

Next to "Hinky Dinky / Mademoiselle" in the army's hit parade was "Lulu," with similarly ad lib stanzas. First DT version is pretty close to best-known WWI stanzas.

More later. Keep those posts a-comin'.