The Caisson Song

Music by	Edmund L. Gruber
Lyrics by	Edmund L. Gruber, William Bryden, and Robert Danford
Date	1908

"The Caisson Song" was written by, for, and about the members of the United States field artillery in the Philippines in 1908. It quickly became popular in military units, but only gained widespread popularity in 1917 as "U.S. Field Artillery" when John Philip Sousa was commissioned to create his own march based on the music. Sousa, however, had been led to believe "The Caisson Song" dated back to the Civil War, and so unintentionally deprived original composer Edmund L. Gruber of its proceeds. "The Caisson Song" was again rewritten, as "The Army Goes Rolling Along," in 1956, setting new lyrics to the original music. This version was designated as the official U.S. Army song.

The frogs performed by John Lovelady in the Muppet Glee Club sing an excerpt of "The Caisson Song" during the cacophonous moments before the group settles on "Temptation" in The Muppet Show episode 101.