Here's one more example from that http://users.netropolis.net/schwartz/jodie.htm website.


They say that in the Army, the chicken's mighty fine
One jumped off the table and started marking time
Refrain: Oh, Lord I wanna go
But they won't let me go (group ends this line with home,
stretched out over 8 paces, and a "Hey" on the right foot
to end the refrain)
They say that in the Army, the pay is mighty fine
They give you a hundred dollars and take back ninety-nine
They say that in the Army, the coffee's mighty fine
It looks like muddy water, and tastes like turpentine
They say that in the Army, the biscuits are mighty fine
One rolled off the table and killed a friend of mine
They say that in the Army, the meat is mighty fine
Last night we had ten puppies, this morning only nine
They say that in the Army, the shoes are mighty fine
You ask for size eleven, they give you size nine
They say that in the Army, the pancakes are mighty fine
You can try to chew them, but you're only wasting time
They say that in the Army, the bed's are mighty fine
But how the hell would I know, I've never slept in mine
They say that in the Army, the mail is so great
Today I got a letter dated 1948
They say that in the Army, the hours are just right
Start early in the morning and work on through the night
They say that in the Army, the buses are mighty fine
One went round the corner, and left three wheels behind
They say that in the Army, the coffee's mighty fine
It's good for cuts and bruises and tastes like iodine
They say that in the Army, the chicken's mighty fine
One jumped off the table and killed a friend of mine
-snip-

I'm not sure whether this chant has once source song or several. There are a number of rhymes in Talley's Negro Folk Rhyme book that have lines with the end rhymes "fine/time/nine", but one old rhyme that comes to mind is this one:

"Some folks say dat a N**ger won't steal,
But Mosser cotch six in a watermillion fiel'"
-excerpt from "'They Steal' Gossip" ; Talley, p. 110 [Kennikat Edition, 1968

{I've also seen the word "N**gers" given as "preachers".

**

The end rhymes "fine/dime/time/turpentine" are also commonly found in contemporary African American children's rhymes {and contemporary rhymes from other children as well} However, maybe because that product isn't used anymore and children aren't familiar with it,
I haven't found any lines in contemporary children's rhymes that rhyme the word "iodine" with any of those other "ine" or near "ine" words.

**

The person who posted that "They Say..." cadence and the "You Get A Line" cadence found in my last post to this thread indicated that they were marching cadences and wrote this comment about them:

"These two have been around for a long time. There is an old US Army Signal Corps film from the First World War which shows basic trainees at Fort Leonard Wood singing these".

**

Thanks to the person who collected those candences [I couldn't find his [her?] name on that website]. And thanks also to Jay Dougal for alerting Mudcat to that website!