"The Army Goes Rolling Along"
The Official Song of The United States Army

The song was originally written by field artillery First Lieutenant [later Brigadier General] Edmund L. Gruber, while stationed in the Philippines in 1908 as the "Caisson Song." The original lyrics reflect routine activities in a horse-drawn field artillery battery. The song was transformed into a march by John Philip Sousa in 1917 and renamed "The Field Artillery Song."

It was adopted in 1956 as the official song of the Army and retitled, "The Army Goes Rolling Along." The current lyrics tell the story of our past, our present, and our future. For more on the history of "The Army Goes Rolling Along," click on A Soldier's Song.

The "Army Goes Rolling Along" is played at the conclusion of every U.S. Army ceremony and all Soldiers are expected to stand and sing. The song should be performed with a short introduction to permit all to stand, followed by the Verse, the Chorus, and the Refrain. When performed as part of a medley of Service songs, the following Department of Defense guidance applies:

The order of performance for Service songs is:

Army: "The Army Goes Rolling Along"
Marine Corps: "The Marine's Hymn"
Navy: "Anchors Aweigh"
Air Force: "Official U.S. Air Force Song"
Coast Guard: "Semper Paratus"

The normal method of performing Service songs will be in the above order. However, certain occasions may call for the order to be reversed, such as in a medley featuring "The Army Goes Rolling Along" as the finale. This is authorized as long as the relative order of songs is maintained. Only medleys containing the service songs in an approved order of precedence will be performed by Army bands. Civilian music organizations are encouraged to follow the same order of preference. When performed as part of a Service song medley, the Army Song will normally include only the Chorus and the Refrain.

The sound files below can be downloaded and used for this purpose when a U.S. Army band is not available.

Audio and sheet music provided by The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own".

Listen to "The Army Goes Rolling Along"

Download

Sound Files

sound file icon The Army Goes Rolling Along - Band Only (1.27 MB)
The Army Goes Rolling Along - Band and Chorus (2 MB)

Lyrics

Verse:	March along, sing our song, with the Army of the free. Count the brave, count the true, who have fought to victory. We’re the Army and proud of our name! We’re the Army and proudly proclaim:
Chorus:	First to fight for the right, And to build the Nation’s might, And The Army Goes Rolling Along. Proud of all we have done, Fighting till the battle’s won, And the Army Goes Rolling Along.
Refrain:	Then it’s hi! hi! hey! The Army’s on its way. Count off the cadence loud and strong; For where’er we go, You will always know That The Army Goes Rolling Along.