Lyr ADD: We're in the Swiss Navy? / King's Navy

Subject: Lyr Req: We're in the Swiss Navy
From: Haruo
Date: 17 Dec 02 - 11:51 PM

À propos of the Swiss yacht's triumphant showing in the America's Cup semi-finals, I decided to look up "We're in the Swiss Navy", but couldn't find a trace of it in DT nor nowhere.

The version I knew as a kid went

We don't have to march with the infantry,
ride with the cavalry, shoot with the artillery.
We don't have to fly over Germany:
We're in the Swiss Navy.
We're in the Swiss Navy, we're in the Swiss Navy.
We don't have to march with the infantry,
ride with the cavalry, shoot with the artillery.
We don't have to fly over Germany:
We're in the Swiss Navy.

I think I've also heard it done

I'm in the Swiss Navy

and

We are the Swiss Navy

and with "want" in place of "have".

And I'm pretty sure in the Bests' Song Fest there's at least one other verse about "We are the sweet bloomer girls", as I recall it goes roughly

We can drink champagne with the best of them,
Gin with the worst of them, beer with the rest of them,
We love the Empire's big hairy-chested men:
We are the sweet bloomer girls.

Which parts or versions am I missing here?

Haruo

Subject: ADD Verse: King's Navy
From: Joe Offer
Date: 18 Dec 02 - 02:04 AM

Well, Haruo, in Song Fest and in the Digital Tradition, it's called King's Navy. Song Fest has an additional (women's) verse not in the DT - I'll put that verse in bold letters.
-Joe Offer-

KING'S NAVY

We don't have to march with the infantry
Ride with the cavalry, shoot the artillery
We don't have to fly over Germany
We are the King's Navy

We are the King's Navy
We are the King's Navy

We can drink champagne with the best of them
Gin with the worst of them, beer with the rest of them
We are the empire's big hairy-chested men
We are the King's Navy

We drink scotch, scotch with the best of them
Gin with the worst of them, beer with the Dartmouth men
We like great big [sigh] hairy-chested men
We are the sweet bloomer girls.
    We are the sweet bloomer girls.
    We are the sweet bloomer girls.
We drink scotch, scotch with the best of them (as above)

@military @drink
tune:The Old Grey Mare
From Dick and Beth Best's book, Song Fest.
filename[ KINGNAVY
JN
oct96

---

Click here for information on the Swiss Navy, what there is of it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're in the Swiss Navy
From: Haruo
Date: 19 Dec 02 - 01:59 AM

Interesting. I learned it (Seattle, 1960s) in Boy Scouts as "Swiss" not "King's" (though I knew of the "King's" variant, probably from Song Fest); and I correctly recalled that the bloomer girls were in Song Fest, but I'm not sure where I got the champagne.

Leland

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're in the Swiss Navy? / King's Navy
From: GUEST,Ellen
Date: 24 Oct 11 - 01:24 AM

My grandfather was in flight training in World War I in France and they sang this song, with the chorus "We are the kiwi-wis" (flightless birds). He never did get into action, fortunately for him, since they were not issued parachutes (bad for morale) and there was a 100 percent mortality rate, I understand.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: We're in the Swiss Navy? / King's Navy
From: GUEST,Mike Connerton
Date: 08 Feb 22 - 10:14 AM

Sang this song in the 50s early 60s at camp in northern New Jersey WMCA Camp Acquackanonk.