Irving Berlin - Gee, I Wish I Was Back In The Army Lyrics

[Verse:]
When I was mustered out
I thought without a doubt
That I was through with all my care and strife
I thought that I was then
The happiest of men
But after months of tough civilian life

[1st refrain:]
Gee, I wish I was back in the Army
The Army wasn't really bad at all

Three meals a day
For which you didn't pay
Uniforms for winter, spring and fall

There's a lot to be said for the Army
The life without responsibility

A soldier out of luck
Was really never stuck
There's always someone higher up where you can pass the buck
Oh, gee, I wish I was back in the Army

[2nd Refrain, for female:]
Gee, I wish I was back in the Army
The Army was the place to find romance

Soldiers and WACS
The WACS who dressed in slacks
Dancing cheek to cheek and pants to pants

There's a lot to be said for the Army
A gal was never lost for company

A million handsome guys
With longing in their eyes
And all you had to do was pick the age, the weight, the size
Oh, gee, I wish I was back in the Army

[3rd refrain:]
Gee, I wish I was back in the Army
The shows we got civilians couldn't see

How we would yell for Dietrich and Cornell
Jolson, Hope and Benny all for free
[Alternate line from sheet music:
Crosby, Hope and Jolson all for free]

There's a lot to be said for the Army
The best of doctors watched you carefully

A dentist and a clerk
For weeks and weeks they'd work
They'd make a thousand dollar job and give it to a jerk
Oh, gee, I wish I was back in the Army

[Coda:]
Three meals a day
For which you didn't pay
A million handsome guys
With longing in their eyes
I thought that I was through with all my care and strife
But after months and months of tough civilian life
Oh, gee
I wish I was back in the Army now