The Song of the Marines (circa 1937)
Marine veteran Ray Priest, as a young Marine musician in the early 1960s, was in a band, which occasionally played “Song of the Marines.” By the 1990s, the song had pretty well died out. He thought it too good
to die and promoted it to the Marine Corps Musicians Association. It subsequently was voted the official song of the MCMA. Now the song is played and sung by all 12 of the Marine field bands, “The President’s Own” and “The Commandant’s Own” Drum and Bugle Corps. The song is regularly played as a part of the Evening Parade at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C. Actor and singer Dick Powell performed this song written by Al Dubin in the 1937 movie, “The Singing Marine.”
SONG OF THE MARINE
OVER THE SEA -LET'S GO MEN
WE'RE SHOVIN' RIGHT OFF
WE'RE SHOVIN' RIGHT OFF AGAIN
NOBODY KNOWS WHERE OR WHEN
WE'RE SHOVIN' RIGHT OFF
WE'RE SHOVIN' RIGHT OFF AGAIN
IT MAY BE SHANGHAI
FAREWELL & GOOD -BY
SALLY & SUE DON'T BE BLUE
WE'LL JUST BE GONE FOR
YEARS AND YEARS AND THEN
WE'RE SHOVIN' RIGHT OFF FOR HOME
WE'RE SHOVIN' RIGHT OFF FOR HOME
Related Content
- The Dragon Fire Experiments (Article)
- Marine Corps Music: Master Guns' Playlist (Magazine Page)
- “Ballad of the Green Berets”? (Article)
- “Geneviève de Brabant” By Jacques Offenbach (Audio)
- Band of America’s Few: Former Marine Musicians Take an Encore (Article)
Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Historic Leatherneck Magazine Covers
"We've Fought In Every Clime And Place": Stamping out the Caco Insurrection in the Republic d' Haiti.
"From Dawn To Setting Sun": Marine Occupation in Defense of Shanghai, March, 1927.
"Our Flag's Unfurled To Every Breeze": Punitive Expedition against Qhallah Battoo, February, 1832.
"We Are Proud To Claim The Title Of United States Marines"
"And To Keep Our Honor Clean": The fight to the finish at Bladensburg, August, 1814.
"First To Fight For Right And Freedom": The Marine expedition in Cuba in June, 1898.
"On The Land As On The Sea": The "Bon Homme Richard" encounters the "Serapis," September 23, 1779.
"We Fight Our Country's Battles": The fall of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in 1865.
"On The Land As On The Sea": The "Bon Homme Richard" encounters the "Serapis," September 23, 1779.
"We Fight Our Country's Battles": The fall of Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in 1865.
"First To Fight For Right And Freedom": The Marine expedition in Cuba in June, 1898.
“To The Shores Of Tripoli”: Storming the fortifications at Derne, Tripoli, 1805.
"From The Halls Of Montezuma": The assault on Chapultepec Castle--Mexico City, 1847
Marine patrol fired on while fording the Coco River.
“To The Shores Of Tripoli”: Storming the fortifications at Derne, Tripoli, 1805.
"From The Halls Of Montezuma": The assault on Chapultepec Castle--Mexico City, 1847
Marine patrol fired on while fording the Coco River.
January 2002: The Marines engraved another mark in the rich history of the Corps when they came from more than 400 miles offshore to establish a forward operating base south of Kandahar in the war on terrorism. The Marine CH-46 helicopter on the cover, photographed by PH1(AW/SW) Greg Messier, USN, fought in the desert sand to land and resupply Marines such as the ones (inset) photographed by Sgt Joseph R. Chenelly.
January 2001: This firefight during the Frozen Chosin Reservoir Campaign of 1950 was painted by “Chosin Few” veteran Jack Cannon, who served with Company B, 1st Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment and resides in the warmer climes of New Mexico. The cover was part of Leatherneck’s 50th anniversary salute to the Korean War veterans.
January 1992: This cover photograph of runners during Marine Corps Marathon XVI in Washington, D.C., was photographed by Sgt Deirdre Hallett.
Special Feature
Leatherneck Poll
Advertising
Recent comments
| koh tang battle, 3 marines left behind and forgotten. | 41 min 8 sec ago |
| Marine Family | 2 hours 1 min ago |
| mielno | 2 hours 24 min ago |
| Nam 68-69 | 2 hours 58 min ago |
| And a Mule just might win the Kentucky Derby | 6 hours 29 min ago |
| Hill 488 | 7 hours 51 min ago |
| I understand why people | 10 hours 25 min ago |
| Bad A song, going in on June | 10 hours 29 min ago |
Professional Marine Discussions
A location for professional communication and informal dissemination of information within the Marine artillery community.
Debate the issues in this month's magazine.
Discuss your Marine Corps and the issues it faces.
Today in USMC History
1900 - Marines landed at Taku, China, to establish Legation Guard at Peking.
Related Article: The Marines In China By LtCol C. H. Metcalf Marine Corps Gazette (Sept 1938)
Comments
REPLY TO SONG OF THE MARINES
I was going to say great, but that just doesn't do it. This is fantastic!! Thank you for saving it.
PS This is the year I was born!!
Pete Garber
MSgt, USMC (Ret)
Post new comment