The U.S. Field Artillery March!
The "U.S. Field Artillery March" is the
official song of the United States Army
Field Artillery
"The U.S. Field Artillery March" was
composed by John Phillip Sousa in
1917. The song is based on the
"Caisson Song" written by field
artillery First Lieutenant (later
Brigadier General) Edmund L. Gruber,
Lieutenant William Bryden, and Lieutenant (later Major General) Robert Danford while stationed at Fort Stotsenburg in the Philippines in March 1908.
The tune quickly became popular in field artillery units. In 1917 the Secretary of the Navy and Army Lieutenant George Friedlander of the 306th Field Artillery asked John Philip Sousa to create a march using the "Caisson Song." Sousa changed the key, harmony, and rhythm and renamed it "U.S. Field Artillery."
The recording sold 750,000 copies. Sousa didn't know who had written the song and had been told that it dated back to the Civil War. Although an Army magazine claims that Sousa passed on his royalties to Gruber, other sources state that Gruber became involved in a prolonged legal battle to recover the rights to music he had written and that had been lifted (unknowingly or not) by Sousa and widely sold by sheet music publishers who reaped profits while Gruber received nothing.
The music became so popular that it was also used in radio ads by firms such as the Hoover Vacuum Company. Gruber lost his battle in the courts. They ruled that he had waited too long to complain and that his music was by that time in the public domain. "The Caisson Song" was never designated as the official U.S.Army song likely because the lyrics were too closely identified with the field artillery and not the entire army. The official song retains Gruber's music, but with re-written lyrics.
Official Lyrics
Over hill, over dale
We have hit the dusty trail,
And the Caissons go rolling along.
In and out, hear them shout,
Counter march and right about,
And the Caissons go rolling along.
For it's hi! hi! hee!
In the field artillery,
Shout out your numbers loud and strong,
And where e'er you go,
You will always know
That the Caissons go rolling along.
In the storm, in the night,
Action left or action right
See those Caissons go rolling along
Limber front, limber rear,
Prepare to mount your cannoneer
And those Caissons go rolling along.
For it's hi! hi! hee! In the field artillery,
Shout out your numbers loud and strong,
And where e'er you go, You will always know
That the Caissons go rolling along.
Was it high, was it low,
Where the hell did that one go?
As those Caissons go rolling along
Now we won't get home tonight
And those Caissons go rolling along.
For it's hi! hi! hee! In the field artillery,
Shout out your numbers loud and strong,
And where e'er you go,
You will always know
That the Caissons go rolling along.
Caisson Song (1908, original version) Lyrics
Over hill over dale we have hit the dusty trail
As our caissons go rolling along.
Up and down, in and out, Countermarch and right about,
And our caissons go rolling along.
For it's hi-hi-hee in the Fifth Artillery, Shout out the number loud and strong.
Till our final ride, It will always be our pride
To keep those caissons a rolling along.
(Keep them rolling - keep them rolling)*
Keep those caissons a rolling along.
(B-a-t-t-e-r-y H-a-l-t!)*
