Below is a popular video on YouTube featuring US servicemen mimicking a famous dancing banana emoticon Flash presentation that appeared some years ago. The banana and servicemen are dancing to an infectious hip hop song by the Buckwheat Boyz. Called “Peanut Butter Jelly Time,” it constitutes the Boyz’ small but deathless claim to immortality.
The usual explanation for this behavior is that the soldiers are “bored.” From the stories I’ve heard here at the war college, this entirely misses the point. The dance is in the nature of a dare. The soldiers are almost always performing it behind an NCO of higher rank, and the object is to do it without the NCO’s noticing. (You apparently get extra points for pretending to sodomize the NCO.) It’s essentially a military variant of the tradition in which peasants during carnivals were ritually permitted to exercise license, parody, and role reversal toward their social betters.
It should go without saying that this is a sort of thing is reserved for enlisted personnel. An officer here told me the story of an occasion when a second lieutenant attempted the “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” dance behind the back of a colonel. The colonel noticed and “accidentally” flattened the lieutenant with a swipe of his arm.
Oh, and if you must have them, here are the lyrics:
It’s peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time, peanut butter jelly time
(Chorus:)
Where he at (4 times)
There he go (4 times)
Peanut butter jelly (4 times)
Do the peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly,
Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat (2 times)(Chorus)
Now, break it down and freeze (4 times)
(Chorus)
Now tic tac toe (uh-huh)
Tic tac toe (let’s go)
Tic tac toe (you got it)
Tic tac toe (let’s ride)(Chorus)
Now, freestyle, freestyle, freestyle, freestyle, freestyle, your style(2 times)
Where he at (4 times)
There he go (4 times)
3 Comments
That’s just great. Simply great.
I’ve seen a couple dozen variations on this clip. The earliest I can recall was from the fall of 2006. This clip is rather tame compared to some I’ve seen. But there’s one common theme – the soldiers doing the dance all appear to perform the actions within the safe confines of a FOB or larger base. This clip in particular I can probably narrow down to one or two base complexes in particular, given the units, equipment, and background scenes.
Is it an act of rebellion? Maybe. But if so it is a controlled rebellion. While I’ve seen (in the clips and first hand) soldiers doing the “dance” while preparing for a convoy, none I’ve seen are acting this way while outside the wire or otherwise mission oriented.
Perhaps there’s a good study for the psychologists.
Also, I’d say this is definitely not an action reserved for the enlisted soldiers. A few years back, I nearly busted a gut retaining a laughing fit while a *field grade* officer “danced” behind the cover of a curtain while a certain U.S. Senator spoke in a briefing.
Oh well, for a soundtrack the Vietnam had the Rolling Stones, Iraq gets the Buckwheat Boyz…. At least it isn’t Miley Cyrus!
Does the rock-and-sand Army (as opposed to the jungle-and-paddy Army of my youth) still sing variations on “Jody,” or is that a betrayal of my age?