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'Twas winter time in
Quantico in nineteen-twenty-two,
The slum was pretty rough
that night, and all the men felt blue;
The hail and sleet, with
ghostly feet beat on the bunkhouse dome,
Some men doped out their
time to do, while others thought of home.
Then from the starless
night, there slipped in through the bunkhouse door,
An old top sergeant that
no man had ever seen before;
The hoar frost glistened
in his hair, his eyes like star shells shone,
A gnarled mustache hid
half his face, and he was skin and bone.
He sat down near the
glowing stove and warmed his fleshless hands,
The chill of death was in
his breath, like thunder his commands;
His voice was hollow, like
the tone of one who’d long been dead,
And when he spoke, the
silence broke, and this is what he said:
“Pipe down, all you
devil-whelps, and snap out of your dreams,
And a tale I’ll tell of
heaven and hell, and the Devil-Dog Marines;
Just Captain Jimmy Bones, M.C., their skipper wrote his name,
He was a fiend for
fighting, he had no care for fame.”
“Have never seen so
fierce a man on land, nor sky , nor sea,
He had a scar for every
war, and fought in ninety-three;
When he was riled, he had
an eye that drilled a hole through men,
He spoke but once, and no
man asked him how, nor why, nor when.”
“Now Jimmy was the
headpiece of a hundred brave Gyrenes,
He used to have a whole
lot more who died from eating beans;
But them what ate the chow
and lived, they sure were hard-boiled guys,
They flicked the bullets
off their coats just like so many flies.”
The old top sergeant’s
voice grew low, and at its ghostly gloom,
Men shivered, and the
vermin crawled upon the bunkhouse broom;
He stuffed a live coal in
his pipe, and deeply did inhale,
He blew the smoke clean
through the roof, and then resumed his tale.
“They say the devil made
him mean when he was in the skies,
And filled them all so
full of hell it shone out through their eyes;
Then old St. Peter found
the bunch, and gave them souls of white,
But hell still boiled up
in them, and they couldn’t else but fight.”
“So Peter had to can old
Nick, and when to earth he fell,
He got himself a steady
job recruiting souls for hell;
Well, Peter stamped
Marines ‘OK,’ and marked them all first class,
‘Cause all that ever
scared ‘em was to see a looking-glass.”
“Now some they come from
Texas sand, so they was full of grit,
And some was from Montana
plains where they’d been roughing it;
Some more they come from
old New York, and wore a Bowery frown,
Then some which was the
toughest came from good old Frisco town.”
"Old Jimmy Bones
shoved off for France in nineteen-seventeen,
And shipped across the
toughest crew the world had ever seen;
Each man had ‘First to
Fight,’ tattooed across his chest, in black,
And right betwixt his
shoulder blades, ‘Watch out, we’re coming back!’”
“Them hundred Devil Dogs
sure was a bold and daring crew,
They bit the soles right
off their shoes whenever they’d want a chew;
There wasn’t one among
that bunch of those U.S. Marines
Who couldn’t spit three
fathoms deep, and sink three submarines.”
“And when it came to
shooting guns, why, say, them men were there,
They’d shave a man a
mile away, and never miss a hair;
They’d trim the eyebrows
off a lark, a- soarin’ in the sky,
Or shoot the points off
shooting stars, as long as they had an eye.”
“They cruised on all the
seven seas and rationed on hard tack,
They fought their way
around the world and half to hell and back;
They fought in every war
there was, clean up to Vera Cruz,
The only things they
hadn’t fought was huns, and too much booze.”
“Now Jimmie Bones
reached France OK with that all-furious crew,
And everyone turned round
to say, ‘No savvy parley-vous;’
The French girls grabbed
them by their hands, and washed their necks with tears,
The French men slapped
them on their backs, and yelled them deaf with cheers.”
"Then Jimmy made a
speech, and said, ‘I hear you got a war,
Around here somewheres
hereabout, and that’s what we’re here for;
But all I got to say is
this. Enjoy it while you can,
I’m going to clean up
Germany If I lose every man."
“The Germans learned
that Jimmie Bones had crossed the sea to fight,
And when they got that
awful news, their feet turned cold with fright;
And when they lamped that
roughneck crew from off an aeroplane,
It nearly knocked ‘em
for a goal, and some went plumb insane.”
“Said they, ‘What is
this thing, Marines? If they had said before,
They had such Devil Dogs
as these, there wouldn’t be no war;’
So that is how they got
their name of ‘Devil Dog’ Marines,
And ever since, they’ve
chased the Dutch dachshund clean off the scenes.”
The old top sergeant
rolled his eyes, as if to recollect,
And where he let his
fierce glance fall, it scorched six feet of deck;
Said he, “No man has
ever lived that crossed old Jimmy Bones,
He had the power that
lifted men, Or dragged kings down from thrones.”
"A general of the
allies looked out through his periscope,
And seen ten million
German huns a-coming on the lope;
He bit his short mustache
and said, ‘We’re in an awful stew,
We’ve only got a million
men. It looks like they’ll break through.’”
“Then, Jimmy Bones piped
up and said, ‘You didn’t count Marines,
I’ve got some hell-dogs
that’ll chew the spikes right off their beans;
‘Cause numbers don’t
mean nothing to my well-behaving crew,
Why, they ain’t been to
school enough to count the men they slew.’”
“The general said,
‘You win, my man. Go take your wild Marines,
And form a scouting party
just to double up the scenes;’
Then Jimmy Bones saluted
stiff, and to the general said,
‘We’ll break through
to Berlin, sir, If we don’t, we’ll come back dead.’”
“With that, he yelled,
‘Outside, Marines, and snap out of your hop,
We’re going out to
gather up that German lemon crop;
And if I see one of you
men so much as leave a rind,
You’ll rate the brig
‘till kingdom come, and sixty dollars fine.’”
“The hundred Devil Dogs
fell out, and then they all fell in,
And each one closed a gap
in ranks by shaving up his chin;
The chief cook turned up
missing when the time for counting come,
But he was cooking
shrapnel up to make the crew some slum.”
“Then Jimmy Bones, he
gave a talk, to all his men, he said,
‘We’re shipping out on
heavy seas with reefs and shoals ahead;
But all I got to say is
this, remember you’re Marines,
Cause water settles
everything, and that’s what our name means.”
"He marched ‘em up
on company front, in quick and double-time,
He marched ‘em in a riot
squad and in a skirmish line;
He ran ‘em in a platoon
rush, and then by single squad;
And each advance ten
thousand huns stretched out and hit the sod.”
"He mowed ‘em down
with Browning guns, and with their Springfield gats,
And them they couldn’t
get that way they stuck with bayonets;
And when it came to
trenches they just shoved the banks all in,
And tons of huns were
swallowed up, and never lived again.”
“The Germans shot a
bunch of bombs of dead limburger cheese,
But all it did to
Jimmy’s men was make them cough and sneeze;
Then Jimmy lit a strong
cigar from off a passing shell,
Three million huns got one
good whiff, and died of that vile smell.”
“The hundred Devil Dogs
shoved on, their eyes flashed liquid fire,
Which melted guns and
cannons up just like they were lead wire;
They kicked about a
million huns into the River Marne,
And if they drowned, or
sunk, or swam, they didn’t give a darn.”
“The Germans thought
that judgment day had come to take its tolls,
They got the jula in their
knees, and trembled in their souls;
And when they saw those
Devil Dogs, and heard their awful yell,
They knew their judgment
day had come, and they were picked for hell.”
“So, what was left threw
up their mitts, and hollered ‘kamerad,’
But Jimmy’s men thought
that was Dutch for talk profaning God;
So they stuck their
bayonets right through them anyhow,
And buzzards came down
from the sky and ate ‘em up for chow.”
“Now Kaiser bill and
Hindenburg was in a game of craps,
He staked his royal crown
against a box of ginger snaps;
Old Hindy won the crown
and said, ‘This ain’t no good to me,
I’d sooner have a bite
to eat than all of Germany’”
“Said Kaiser Bill,
‘I’ll tell you what. You lend ten marks to me,
I’ll pay you back in a
month or two with French indemnity.’
Said Hindy, ‘Where’d
you get that stuff. Do you see any green on me?
I bought myself some
Liberty Bonds from Mrs. Liberty.’”
“Just then the crown
prince busted in and said, ‘Oh papa dear;
I see some wild men coming
who will wreck this joint, I fear;
I’ll shoot a long-range
shot at them, and if they still persist,
Then I’ll take about a
million men and slap them on the wrist.’”
“The Kaiser took a peek
out from a half-raised window blind,
And seen a hundred Devil
Dogs a-swimming across the Rhine;
The river was a-running
blood, From all the men they slew,
And every time they’d
duck their heads, they’d drink a quart or two.”
“The Kaiser’s hair
stood up on end and turned from black to white,
And when he spied old
Jimmy Bones, his blood ran cold with fright;
He grabbed the prince’s
hand and said, ‘Don’t fool with that wild Yank,
He’ll fill you full of
bullet holes where Papa used to spank.’”
“ ‘What ho the
guard!’ Cried Kaiser Bill. ‘There ain't no guard no more,’
Said Hindenburg, ‘The
guard was shot out there by the palace door;’
‘Where is my ally Gott?’
yelled Bill. 'Von Gott, he ain’t at home,’
Said Hindenburg, ‘The
Gott you had was in your crazy dome.’”
“The Kaiser’s eyes
stuck out a mile. ‘What shall I do?’ said he,
‘I’ll save myself and
my six brave sons. To hell with Germany;’
Said Hindenburg, ‘It
went to hell long time before this thing,
Ten million huns that you
sent there are waiting for their king.’”
“The outside palace door
crashed in. There was a mighty roar,
‘Thank gott,” said
Hindenburg, ‘I’ll see that mush of yours no more;’
With that he grabbed his
gat and blew the brains out of his head,
And Kaiser Bill knowed
then and there he meant just what he said.”
“The Kaiser beat it for
the door and flung it open wide,
And there he met Jimmy
Bones a’coming just outside;
Behind him were his Devil
Dogs with gleaming bayonets,
And Kaiser Bill knowed
they had come to get a whole world’s bets.”
“Then Jimmy gave him
just one look that turned his gizzard pale,
And made him wish that he
had spent his life in some nice jail;
Said Jimmie Bones, ‘So
you’re the cur that kicked up all this row,
You’ve got about an hour
to live, so don’t give us no gow!’”
“The Kaiser’s nerve
went over the hill. His brow dripped bloody sweat,
He got down on his knees
and cried and got the carpet wet;
His teeth, they rattled,
just like dice do in a game of craps,
And every word that Jimmy
spoke was like a note of taps.”
“Then Jimmy Bones drawed
out his gat, and then he tossed it by,
Said, ‘you ain’t fit
enough to live, and not that fit to die;
You’ve served the devil
all your life, but now you’ll work for me,’
And then he thought of
things to do. Jim Bones can think of three.”
“‘You’ll stand a
guard of twenty hours around the Arctic zones,
With fifteen minutes out
to thaw the marrow in your bones;
And every hour throughout
the night you’ll answer reveille,
And every twenty years or
so, you’ll rate a liberty.’”
“‘And all you’ll
have to drink is German blood you’ve shed,
And when you’re hungry,
you will gnaw the bones of German dead;
You’ll do a jolt in
eighty-four for ten or twenty years,
And under a hard-boiled
non-com you’ll shed your dying tears.’”
“Then Jimmy stopped, and
silence filled the gloomy castle hall,
The Kaiser rose and tried
to speak, then fell against the wall;
Said he, ‘I thought the
devil was a mean and ugly guy,
But you’ve got Satan
cheated with one look out of your eye.’”
“Said Jimmy Bones,
‘Now that ain’t all I’m gonna leave you do,
Them things is just light
duty, but there’s heavy duty too!’
The Kaiser throwed up both
his mitts. ‘You win!’ That’s all he said,
He gave a yell that was
heard in hell, and then fell over dead.”
The old top sergeant
paused awhile to see if some would doubt,
He sneezed a sneeze, the
stoves grew cold, the window panes fell out;
He rolled himself a
cigarette from sweepings off the floor,
And lit it with his
flaming eye, and then resumed once more.
“Now German spies sent
work to France that Jimmy Bones was dead,
And all his hundred Devil
Dogs was slaughtered too, they said;
The women weeped a lot of
weeps. The men felt pretty bad,
And all of them were
mourning cause the shock it hit ‘em bad.”
“The cook was boiling
coffee up from a piece of dried-out meat,
Said he, ‘If they is
dead or not they’ll be back here to eat;
The world has never seen
the time Marines have met defeat,
They would have gone to
hell to cut off Kaiser Bill’s retreat.’”
“A sentry sighted
Jimmy’s men a’coming over the hill,
And dragging on behind
them what was left of Kaiser Bill;
And when they reached old
Paris, they were met with yells and cheers,
And showers of gold enough
to last ‘em all a thousand years.”
“They hung a million
medals on old Jimmy and his crew,
And when they took ‘em
off they had a barrel full or two;
And ever after that each
lived just like a millionaire,
They never answered
reveille, or heard a bugle blare.”
“And all they did was
bunk fatigue from then, forever more,
And when they died, they
went above and knocked on heaven’s door;
Old Peter came down to the
porch and hollered, ‘Halt! Who’s there?’
“United States
Marines,” said Jim. First here, and everywhere’”
"So Peter let the
whole bunch in along with Captain Jim,
And each one grabbed
himself a harp, and sung the Marine hymn;
And ever after that each
stood his guard on heaven’s green,
And nary a German has got
past the brave U.S. Marine.”
The old top sergeant
heaved a sigh that raised the bunkhouse roof,
And those who sat too
close to him were blown ten feet aloof;
He cut the sling from off
a gun and took a three-foot chew,
And where he spat, the
floor gave way, and hell came boiling through.
Then from the fiery pit
there rose a corporal of the guard,
His face was sunk, his
flesh was iron, his look was twice as hard;
Said he, “The detail’s
still intact around the brimstone floods,
The devil’s peeling
onions and the Kaiser’s peeling spuds.”
The old top kicker knit
his brow, said he, “All right, that’s well!
But when you’ve finished
with that job they’ll start to coal up hell;
And if them billion tons
ain’t in before they shut an eye,
I’ll run ‘em up
‘fore Jimmy Bones, and let them tell him why.”
The corporal turned and
leaped head on down through that fiery mass,
The floor closed up, the
bunkhouse swayed with clouds of molten mass.
The top arose, the lights
went out, Taps sounded, came the rain,
A chill swept through the
room and he was never seen again.
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Captain Jimmy Bones And His Devil-Dog
Marines