Gee, I Wish I Was Back In The Army

"Gee, I Wish I Was Back In The Army" originated in the Earth film White Christmas and has made its way into Stenza folk traditions. It is especially popular among veterans reminiscing about the "good old days" or airing old gripes over drinks. Another common version is to change the tune and key to morph it into a lament for days gone by (Ta'zhen, for example, periodically does this).

Historical Details

Background

"Gee, I Wish I Was Back In The Army" is one of the songs that was brought over with White Christmas more broadly, under circumstances strangely shrouded in mystery. The song immediately invited itself to the reminiscences of old soldiers.

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Gee, I Wish I Was Back In The Army

Original text, as presented in White Christmas
When I was mustered out I thought without a doubt That I was through with all my care and strife
I thought that I was then The happiest of men But after months of tough civilian life
Gee, I wish I was back in the Army The Army wasn't really bad at all Three meals a day For which you didn't pay Uniforms for winter, spring and fall
There's a lot to be said for the Army The life without responsibility A soldier out of luck Was really never stuck There's always someone higher up where you can pass the buck
Oh, gee, I wish I was back in the Army Gee, I wish I was back in the Army The Army was the place to find romance
Soldiers and WACS The WACS who dressed in slacks Dancing cheek to cheek and pants to pants
There's a lot to be said for the Army A gal was never lost for company A million handsome guys With longing in their eyes And all you had to do was pick the age, the weight, the size
Oh, gee, I wish I was back in the Army Gee, I wish I was back in the Army The shows we got civilians couldn't see How we would yell for Dietrich and Cornell Jolson, Hope and Benny all for free
There's a lot to be said for the Army The best of doctors watched you carefully A dentist and a clerk For weeks and weeks they'd work They'd make a thousand dollar job and give it to a jerk
Oh, gee, I wish I was back in the Army Three meals a day For which you didn't pay A million handsome guys With longing in their eyes I thought that I was through with all my care and strife But after months and months of tough civilian life Oh, gee I wish I was back in the Army now

(Additional verses are highly dependent on the singer; frequently the verses sung by the sisters are omitted entirely as an adaptation to Stenza military culture. Additionally, the key and tempo are subject to change.)

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Type

Manuscript, Musical

Medium

Oral Tradition / Word of Mouth

Authoring Date

2435

Location

Earth