Can You Tell Me, Baby

I have only comparatively recently emerged from the united states army

So that I am now of course in the radio active reserve

And the usual jokes about the army aside one of the many fine thin

E has to admit is the way that the army has carried the american

Democratic ideal to its logical conclusion in the sense

That not only do they prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race cre

Nd color but also on the grounds of ability

Be that as it may some of you may recall the publicity a few years ago

About the army's search for an official army song to be the counterpart of th

Y's anchors away and the airforce's up in the air junior birdman songs

I was in basic training at the time and I recall our platoon sergeant who was an unfrocked marine

Actually the change of service had come as quite a blow to him

Because it meant that he had to memorize a new serial number which took up most of his time

At any rate I recall this sergean

Nforming me and my room mates of this rather deplorable fact

The army didn't have any official excuse me didn't have no official song

And suggested that we work on this in our copi

Ree time

Well I submitted the following song which is called it makes a fellow

Proud to be a soldier which I think demonstrates the proper spirit you'll agree

However the fact that it did

In the contest I can ascribe only to blatant favoratism on the part of the judges

The heart of every man in our platoon must swell with pride

For the nation's youth the cream of which is marching at his side

For the fascinating rules and regulations that we share

And the quaint and curious costumes that we're called upon to wear

Now al joined up to do his part defending you and me

He wants to fight and bleed and kill and die for liberty

With the hell of war he's come to grips

Policing up the filter tips

It makes a fella proud to be a soldier

When pete was only in the seventh grade he stabbed a cop

He's real r a

Material and he was glad to swap

His switchblade and his old zip gun

For a bayonet and a new m 1

It makes a fella proud to be a soldier

After johnny got through basic training he

Was a soldier through and through when he was done

It's effects were so well rooted

That the next day he saluted

A good humor man an usher and a nun

Now fred's an intellectual brings a book to every meal

He likes the deep philosophers like norman vincent peale

He thinks the army's just the thing

Because he finds it broadening

It makes a fella proud to be a soldier

Now ed flunked out of second grade and never finished school

He doesn't know a shelter half from an entrenching tool

But he's going to be a big success

He heads his class at ocs

It makes a fella proud to be a soldier

Our old mess sergeant's taste buds had been shot off in the war

But his savory collations add to our esprit de corps

To think of all the marvelous ways

They're using plastics nowadays

It makes a fella proud to be a soldier

Our lieutenant is the up and coming type

Played with soldiers as a boy you just can bet

It is written in the stars

He will get his captain's bars

But he hasn't got enough box tops yet

Our captain has a handicap to cope with sad to tell

He's from georgia and he doesn't speak the language very well

He used to be so rumor has the dean of men at alcatraz

It makes a fella proud to be

When as a kid I vowed to be

One ought to be allowed to be

A soldier

At ease