"Throw Nickel on the Grass"

[Tango A-4]

Noted that a question was posted about the origin of the old USAF drinking song ditty from the Korean War. Not to have to reinvent the wheel we Marines have adapted the song for use as a farewell memorial ode after the graveside service and the "box" is lowered into the ground. We distribute the printed verses on a nice black bordered card stock to the faithful assembled gaggle and insure that we have a very large bag of nickels to pass around. Five nickels are thrown, one after each verse [e.g., 1st in the grass around the grave; 2nd launched to strike the "box" with a tight CEP; 3rd in the sky over the grave trying to avoid collateral damage; 4th in the grave; and 5th to be left at the head of the grave and on the stone during any subsequent visits to the grave as a "calling card". Always seems to inject a solemn and dignified finish in keeping with the farewell of a comrade.

Throw a Nickel on the Grass

Oh, Halleluiah, Halleluiah
Throw a nickel on the grass-- Save a fighter pilot's ass
Oh, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Throw a nickel on the grass and he’ll be saved

Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel on the bar-- Raise your glass to toast a star
Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel on the grass and he’ll be saved

Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel in the sky—Up to Heaven watch him fly
Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel on the grass and he’ll be saved

Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel in his grave—He now lies with all the brave
Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel on the grass and he’ll be saved

Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Leave a nickel on his stone—He will never go unknown
Oh, Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Throw a nickel on the grass and he’ll be saved

Tango sends

 

[Renegade One]

Just for the sake of history, here are the purported "original lyrics". I first learned and sang them in the VN era, wherein "The Yalu" was modified to "The Mekong", "Major" was replaced by either "The Skipper" or "My Wingman", "Pyongyang" was replaced with "Saigon", and "Sabre" replaced by your aircraft of choice (Phantom, in my case…):
Chorus:
Oh, Halleliua, Halleliua
Throw a nickel on the grass--Save a fighter pilot's ass.
Oh, Halleliua, Oh, Halleliua
Throw a nickel on the grass and you'll be saved.

I was cruising down the Yalu, doing six and twenty per
When a call came from the Major, Oh won 't you save me sir?
Got three flak holes in my wing tips, and my tanks ain't got no gas.
Mayday, mayday, mayday, I got six MIGS on my ass.
Chorus
I shot my traffic pattern, and to me it looked all right,
The airspeed read one-thirty, I really racked it tight!
Then the airframe gave a shudder, the engine gave a wheeze,
Mayday, mayday, mayday, spin instructions please.
Chorus
It was split S on my Bomb run, and I got too God Damn low
But I pressed that bloody button, and I let those babies go
Sucked the stick back fast as blazes, when I hit a hight speed stall
I won’t see my mother when the work all done next fall.
Chorus
They sent me down to Pyongyang, the brief said "no ack ack"
by the time that I arrived there, my wings was mostly flak.
Then my engine coughed and sputtered, it was too cut up to fly
Mayday, mayday, mayday, I’m too young to die.
Chorus
I bailed out from the Sabre, and the landing came out fine
With my E and E equipment, I made for our front line.
When I opened up ration, to see what was in it,
The God damn quartermaster why he filled the tin with grit.
Chorus

 

[BusyBee604]

Noted that a question was posted about the origin of the old USAF drinking song ditty from the Korean War. Not to have to reinvent the wheel we Marines have adapted the song for use as a farewell memorial ode after the graveside service and the "box" is lowered into the ground. We distribute the printed verses on a nice black bordered card stock to the faithful assembled gaggle and insure that we have a very large bag of nickels to pass around. Five nickels are thrown, one after each verse [e.g., 1st in the grass around the grave; 2nd launched to strike the "box" with a tight CEP; 3rd in the sky over the grave trying to avoid collateral damage; 4th in the grave; and 5th to be left at the head of the grave and on the stone during any subsequent visits to the grave as a "calling card". Always seems to inject a solemn and dignified finish in keeping with the farewell of a comrade.

Tango A-4, good post, great tradition. The attached are a series of Vietnam era Pilot drinking songs by former USAF Capt Dick Jonas, who flew F-4s up north with the "Wolf Pack" in the legendary Robin Olds AF Wing. They also apply for USN/USMC Vietnam combat ops NVN/SVN.

Jonas has a great voice, kind of 'country style git box ' music, excellent for reunions, parties & such. I have had all his CDs since I met him at Luke AFB, when I lived in Phoenix in the "naughty nineties" His CD series is available on Amazon.



BzB

 

[rondebmar]

Good site here, Tango:

http://a4skyhawk.org/