The Flying Fortress is also a cadence call named after the famous aircraft.
Sometimes known as attitude checks, calls such as this are usually sung by military units double timing (running) in formation. The Flying Fortress cadence call has many versions; the version shown here is popular among Royal Canadian Air Cadets, even though it is prohibited due to CHAP regulations. I was taught this call as a young cadet coming back from my first gliding adventure.(The writeup about the L-19 at that node is actually a quite accurate description of my first time, but I digress.)
The Flying Fortress
They took the flying fortress up to 40 000 feet (3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus:
And the lord said:
Glory, glory what a hell of a way to die
With a rifle up your ass
And a bullet in your eye
Glory , glory what a hell of a way to die
When your balls hang lower
Than your paratrooper boots.
Chorus
The corporal tied a slip-knot
In the sergeant's parachute(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
The sergeant was the last to jump
The first to hit the ground(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
The sergeant hit the runway like
A soggy sack of shit(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
They scraped him off the runway
With a rusty bayonet(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
The following phrases are purely from memory; I couldn't find them written down on the net anywhere. They were probably invented by cadets and just passed on from one year to the next.
They put him in a matchbox
And they sent him home to mom(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
Mom didn't want him
So she sent him back to us (3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
We didn't want him
So we sent him to the mess(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
The mess didn't want him
So they put him in the soup(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more.
Chorus
The soup tasted better
Than it ever had before(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more!
Although it doesn't make much sense in context, some people add the following lines:
And the moral of the story
Is to pull the fucking cord(3x)
And he ain't gonna jump no more!
Authors/Origins unknown.
Sources: Personal knowledge and http://members.tripod.com/~rp98evvre/html/chanson.html
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