The WWII Origin of “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition”

Upon its release, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” quickly became very popular with wartime Americans.

《赞美主，传递弹药》一经推出，迅速受到战时美国人的欢迎。

Top Photo: Photograph taken from a Japanese plane during the torpedo attack on ships moored on both sides of Ford Island at Pearl Harbor.

顶部照片：在珍珠港福特岛两侧停泊的船只遭到鱼雷袭击时，一架日本飞机拍摄的照片。

The view looks east, with the supply depot, submarine base, and fuel tank farm in the right-center distance.

视野向东，补给站、潜艇基地和油库位于右中心距离。

A torpedo has just hit USS West Virginia on the far side of Ford Island (center).

一枚鱼雷刚刚击中福特岛（中）远端的西弗吉尼亚号航空母舰。

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command Photograph.

美国海军历史和遗产司令部照片。

On December 7, 1941, the US Navy cruiser USS New Orleans (CA-32) was anchored at the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in the territory of Hawaii.

1941 年 12 月 7 日，美国海军巡洋舰新奥尔良号 (CA-32) 停泊在夏威夷境内的珍珠港美国海军基地。

That Sunday morning, Howell M.

那个周日早上，豪厄尔·M.

Forgy, the chaplain aboard the New Orleans , was preparing his sermon for the day’s upcoming service.

新奥尔良号上的牧师福吉正在为当天即将举行的仪式准备布道。

A Lieutenant Junior Grade and Presbyterian minister from Kentucky, Forgy wrote in his 1944 memoir that he planned to base his remarks on a passage from the third chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, which emphasized the need to forget the past and focus on the future.

福吉是来自肯塔基州的中尉和长老会牧师，他在 1944 年的回忆录中写道，他计划以《圣保罗致腓立比人书信》第三章中的一段话作为自己的言论，其中强调了忘记过去并着眼于未来的必要性。

His preparations were halted, however, when “the silence suddenly exploded into the deafening clang-clang-clang of the general alarm.” 1

然而，当“寂静突然爆发出震耳欲聋的警报声”时，他的准备工作被暂停了。 1

After rushing to his battle station in the ship’s sick bay, Forgy went up on deck to see what was going on.

福吉赶到船上医务室的战斗站后，登上甲板查看发生了什么事。

Moments later, he saw the initial results of the Japanese surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, including the damage done to the battleships USS Arizona , USS West Virginia , and USS Oklahoma .

片刻之后，他看到了日本突然袭击珍珠港美国太平洋舰队的初步结果，包括对亚利桑那号战列舰、西弗吉尼亚号战列舰和俄克拉荷马号战列舰造成的损害。

Years later he recalled that he “gaped with a sense of fascinated helplessness” as bombs continued to fall and American servicemembers scrambled to return fire, treat the wounded, and keep their ships afloat.

多年后，他回忆道，当炸弹不断落下，美国军人争先恐后地还击、救治伤员并让船只保持漂浮时，他“带着一种着迷的无助感目瞪口呆”。

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2

Lieutenant Howell M.

豪厄尔·M.中尉

Forgy, USN(ChC).

福吉，美国海军（ChC）。

Photograph taken circa 1942-43.

照片拍摄于 1942-43 年左右。

Photograph from the Office of War Information collection in the U.S. National Archives.

照片来自美国国家档案馆战争信息办公室收藏。

During the battle, Forgy encouraged the exhausted sailors of the USS New Orleans as they rushed by carrying fresh shells for the ship’s antiaircraft guns, recalling that he “slapped their wet, sticky backs and shouted, ‘Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.’” 3

在战斗中，福吉鼓励新奥尔良号航空母舰上精疲力尽的水手们为舰上的高射炮搬运新炮弹，他回忆说，他“拍打着他们湿漉漉、粘糊糊的背，大喊道：‘赞美上帝，把弹药递给他们。’”3

Among the millions of Americans who entered military service after the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a young songwriter named Frank Loesser.

日本偷袭珍珠港后，数百万入伍的美国人中有一位名叫弗兰克·洛瑟（Frank Loesser）的年轻歌曲作家。

Born into a German Jewish family in New York City, Loesser never formally studied music but was already writing songs for Broadway shows by the time he went into uniform in 1942.

洛瑟出生于纽约市的一个德国犹太家庭，从未正式学习过音乐，但在 1942 年入伍时就已经开始为百老汇演出创作歌曲。

Following the United States’ entry into World War II, the government mobilized all elements of American society in pursuit of victory, including the music industry.

美国加入第二次世界大战后，政府动员了美国社会各阶层以追求胜利，其中包括音乐产业。

As historian Kathleen Smith observed, “The government needed Americans to recognize the all-encompassing nature of the conflict and the potential threat it posed to every facet of American life: a victorious Axis meant, at best, an uncertain future for the United States and, at worst, the end of a free, independent, democratic country.” 4 Those stakes inspired many observers, including songwriters, to see the conflict in existential and religious terms.

正如历史学家凯瑟琳·史密斯所观察到的那样，“政府需要美国人认识到这场冲突的包罗万象的性质，以及它对美国人生活各个方面构成的潜在威胁：轴心国的胜利，往好里说，意味着美国前途未卜，往坏了说，意味着一个自由、独立、民主国家的终结。” 4 这些利害关系激发了包括歌曲作者在内的许多观察家从存在主义和宗教角度看待这场冲突。

In April 1942, Loesser excitedly wrote to his wife: “I have a title—‘Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition’—which is a quotation from a news story a few months ago—a sentence supposedly spoken by a brave Navy chaplain.” 5 As Loesser told the story in his lyrics, an unnamed chaplain or “sky pilot” puts down his Bible to operate a gun left vacant by the death of two gunners, while exhorting his comrades to proclaim their faith and carry on the fight.

1942年4月，洛瑟兴奋地写信给妻子：“我有一个标题——‘赞美上帝，传递弹药’——引自几个月前的新闻报道——这句话据说是一位勇敢的海军牧师说的。” 5 正如勒瑟在歌词中讲述的那样，一位不知名的牧师或“空中飞行员”放下圣经，操作一把因两名炮手死亡而空出的枪，同时劝告他的战友们宣扬他们的信仰并继续战斗。

It became one of his first solo compositions.

它成为他的第一首个人作品之一。

Loesser was one of many songwriters who used their talents to serve the American war effort.

洛瑟是众多利用自己的才华为美国战争服务的歌曲作者之一。

In his 2006 history of American popular music during World War II, John Bush Jones wrote that wartime songwriters’ success came from “wisely couching war-related subject matter in the familiar forms of the romantic ballads, rhythm numbers, dance tunes, and novelty numbers (rather than, say, militant marches or patriotic anthems).” 6

约翰·布什·琼斯 (John Bush Jones) 在 2006 年撰写的《二战期间美国流行音乐史》中写道，战时歌曲作者的成功来自于“以浪漫民谣、节奏曲目、舞曲和新奇曲目等熟悉的形式明智地表达与战争相关的主题（而不是激进的进行曲或爱国国歌）”。 6

Upon its release, “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” quickly became very popular with wartime Americans.

《赞美主，传递弹药》一经推出，迅速受到战时美国人的欢迎。

In early November 1942, Variety reported that a version of the song performed by Kay Kyser had sold nearly 170,000 copies and after several weeks was “still riding the crest of ballyhoo.” 7 The success of the Kyser version gave Loesser his first gold record when it sold more than 500,000 copies.

1942 年 11 月初，《Variety》报道称，凯·凯瑟 (Kay Kyser) 演唱的这首歌的一个版本已售出近 170,000 张，几周后“仍然热度不减”。 7 Kyser 版本的成功为 Loesser 带来了他的第一张金唱片，销量超过 500,000 张。

8 Throughout late 1942 and early 1943, the song rivaled “White Christmas” as the top song on both the Variety and Billboard charts.

8 整个 1942 年底和 1943 年初，这首歌与《白色圣诞节》相媲美，成为综艺排行榜和公告牌排行榜上的冠军歌曲。

9

9

Despite the song’s popularity, some listeners did not care for Loesser’s song.

尽管这首歌很受欢迎，但一些听众并不喜欢洛瑟的歌曲。

Howard Taubman, a longtime music and theater critic for The New York Times , wrote that it had an excellent title but did not stand up to other war songs and marching tunes.

《纽约时报》的长期音乐和戏剧评论家霍华德·陶布曼写道，这首歌的标题很好，但无法与其他战歌和进行曲相媲美。

He called the tune of “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” undistinguished and routine, but, fortunately for the song, “it does not get in the way of the words, and they are the secret of its success.” 10

他称《赞美主，传递弹药》的曲调平淡无奇，而且是例行公事，但幸运的是，这首歌“它并没有妨碍歌词，它们是它成功的秘诀。” 10

Years later, Loesser’s brother Arthur wrote that what made “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” so popular was that it did not sound like “modern” music that might alienate mainstream America.

多年后，洛瑟的弟弟亚瑟写道，《赞美上帝，传递弹药》之所以如此受欢迎，是因为它听起来不像可能疏远美国主流的“现代”音乐。

It did not sound like music from a Broadway show or a night club, did not recall jazz or music written by African Americans, and gave no hint of the author’s Jewish identity.

它听起来不像百老汇演出或夜总会的音乐，不让人想起爵士乐或非裔美国人写的音乐，也没有暗示作者的犹太身份。

Instead, the lyrics and melody recalled older songs like “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”: “It tastes like school, church, grandma, and biscuits: a master-stroke of diplomacy, aptness, and good business.” 11

相反，歌词和旋律让人想起《共和国战歌》等老歌：“它尝起来像学校、教堂、奶奶和饼干：外交、得体和好生意的神来之笔。” 11

While many Americans enthusiastically embraced the song, the reaction from American churches was mixed.

尽管许多美国人热情地接受了这首歌，但美国教会的反应却褒贬不一。

One Methodist paper in Virginia called for it to be removed from the airwaves and denounced the federal government for promoting a song about a clergyman taking up arms in battle, but a church in Denver, Colorado, announced that they would add the phrase “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition” to their recitation of the Lord’s Prayer.

弗吉尼亚州的一份卫理公会报纸呼吁将其从广播中删除，并谴责联邦政府宣传一首关于牧师拿起武器参加战斗的歌曲，但科罗拉多州丹佛市的一家教堂宣布，他们将在背诵主祷文时添加“赞美主并传递弹药”这句话。

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12

The earliest news stories to publicize the phrase “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition” identified William Maguire, a Catholic priest and career Navy chaplain, as the person who first uttered the phrase.

最早宣传“赞美主并传递弹药”这句话的新闻报道指出，天主教牧师兼职业海军牧师威廉·马奎尔是第一个说出这句话的人。

Early reports said that Maguire not only encouraged sailors to shoot back at the attacking Japanese planes but personally fired an antiaircraft gun during the Pearl Harbor attack.

早期报道称，马奎尔不仅鼓励水兵向攻击的日本飞机还击，还在珍珠港袭击期间亲自发射了高射炮。

13 This posed a problem for the American chaplain corps, who were barred from using weapons.

13 这给美国牧师团带来了问题，他们被禁止使用武器。

To set the record straight, Maguire and the leader of the American military’s Catholic Ordinate gave a joint interview to The New York Times in which Maguire denied both firing a weapon and using the phrase at all.

为了澄清事实，马奎尔和美军天主教教区领导人接受了《纽约时报》的联合采访，马奎尔在采访中否认开枪，也否认使用过这个短语。

As Bishop John F.

正如约翰·F.

O’Hara told the paper, “We don’t like to place the nation in a position of boasting about a violation of international law and the Geneva Convention that did not occur.” 14

奥哈拉对该报表示，“我们不想让这个国家吹嘘没有发生的违反国际法和《日内瓦公约》的行为。” 14

In November 1942, months after the song was released, Maguire appeared on the cover of Life magazine.

1942 年 11 月，歌曲发行几个月后，马奎尔出现在《生活》杂志的封面上。

In an article on recent popular war songs that featured “Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition,” Maguire revealed that he did not remember using the phrase at all during the Pearl Harbor attack.

在一篇关于最近流行的战争歌曲的文章中，马奎尔透露，他根本不记得在珍珠港袭击期间使用过这句话。

“If I said it,” he told the magazine, “nobody could have heard me in the din of battle.

“如果我这么说，”他告诉杂志，“没有人会在战斗的喧嚣中听到我的声音。

But I certainly felt what the statement expresses.” 15

但我确实感受到了这句话所表达的意思。” 15

Around the same time, The New York Times reported that it was Howell Forgy, not Maguire, who spoke the now-famous words as Japanese bombs fell.

大约在同一时间，《纽约时报》报道说，在日本原子弹落下时说出这句现在著名的话的是豪厄尔·福吉，而不是马奎尔。

16 Nearly a year later in September 1943, after the USS New Orleans returned to duty in the Pacific without him, Forgy admitted that he was sick of hearing about the song that made him famous.

16 将近一年后的 1943 年 9 月，新奥尔良号航空母舰在没有他的情况下返回太平洋执行任务后，福吉承认他厌倦了听到这首让他成名的歌曲。

Stressing that he was eager to return to duty at sea, Forgy told the Times that he had “learned more about basic religion in my first five minutes under fire than I did in my seven years in the seminary and in preaching.” 17

福吉强调他渴望重返海上执勤，他告诉《泰晤士报》，他“在炮火下的头五分钟里学到的基本宗教知识，比我在神学院和传教的七年中学到的还要多。” 17 号

After the war, Forgy remained a Presbyterian minister in civilian life.

战后，福吉在平民生活中仍然担任长老会牧师。

Illness, however, forced him to retire early, and he died in January 1972.

然而，疾病迫使他提前退休，并于 1972 年 1 月去世。

After World War II, Frank Loesser went on to write some of the most popular musicals in American history, including Guys and Dolls and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying .

第二次世界大战后，弗兰克·洛瑟继续创作了一些美国历史上最受欢迎的音乐剧，包括《红男绿女》和《如何在不努力的情况下取得商业成功》。

He died in 1959 at the age of 59.

他于1959年去世，享年59岁。

“Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition” remains a key part of their legacies in American music.

“赞美主并传递弹药”仍然是他们在美国音乐遗产中的重要组成部分。

Chaplain Howell M.

牧师豪厄尔·M.

Forgy, “…

福吉，“……

And Pass the Ammunition” (New York: D.

并传递弹药”（纽约：D.

Appleton-Century Company, 1944), 2-3.

阿普尔顿世纪公司，1944 年），2-3。

Kathleen E.R.

凯瑟琳·E.R.

Smith, God Bless America: Tin Pan Alley Goes to War (Lexington, KY: The University of Kentucky Press, 2003), 6.

史密斯，《上帝保佑美国：锡盘巷走向战争》（肯塔基州列克星敦：肯塔基大学出版社，2003 年），6。

Susan Loesser, A Most Remarkable Fella: Frank Loesser and the Guys and Dolls in His Life, A Portrait by His Daughter (Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard Corporation, 1993), 40.

苏珊·洛瑟 (Susan Loesser)，《一个最杰出的家伙：弗兰克·洛瑟和他生命中的男人和玩偶，他女儿的肖像》（威斯康星州密尔沃基：哈尔·伦纳德公司，1993 年），40。

John Bush Jones, The Songs That Fought the War: Popular Music and the Home Front, 1939-1945 (Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2006), 2.

约翰·布什·琼斯，《战争歌曲：流行音乐和后方，1939-1945》（新罕布什尔州汉诺威：新英格兰大学出版社，2006 年），2。

“‘Praise the Lord’s’ Great Press,” Variety , Vol. 148, No. 9 (November 4, 1942), pp.

“‘赞美主’伟大的媒体”，《综艺》，卷。 148，第 9 期（1942 年 11 月 4 日），第 147 页。

41 and 47.

41和47。

Thomas L.

托马斯·L。

Riis, Frank Loesser (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2008), 56.

Riis, Frank Loesser（康涅狄格州纽黑文：耶鲁大学出版社，2008 年），56。

Howard Taubman, “Records” War Song,” The New York Times , November 15, 1942.

霍华德·陶布曼，“记录”战歌，《纽约时报》，1942 年 11 月 15 日。

Arthur Loesser, “My Brother Frank,” Notes , Vol. 7, No. 2 (March 1950), 225.

Arthur Loesser，“我的兄弟弗兰克”，注释，卷。 7，第 2 期（1950 年 3 月），225。

See “Hits ‘Ammunition’ Song,” The New York Times , November 27, 1942, and “Amends Lord’s Prayer,” The New York Times , November 10, 1942.

参见“热门‘弹药’歌曲”，《纽约时报》，1942 年 11 月 27 日，以及“修正主祷文”，《纽约时报》，1942 年 11 月 10 日。

See, for instance, “Chaplain-Gunner Tells of Pearl Harbor Attack,” The Los Angeles Times , August 20, 1942.

例如，参见“牧师炮手讲述珍珠港袭击事件”，《洛杉矶时报》，1942 年 8 月 20 日。

“Chaplain Wrecks Legend of Dec.

“牧师沉船传奇十二月。

7,” The New York Times , November 1, 1942.

7”，《纽约时报》，1942 年 11 月 1 日。

“New U.S. War Songs,” Life Magazine , Vol. 13, No. 18 (November 2, 1942), pp.

“新美国战歌”，生活杂志，卷。 13，第 18 期（1942 年 11 月 2 日），第 13 页。

43.

43.

“Lieutenant Claims Phrase,” The New York Times , November 1, 1942.

“中尉声明短语”，《纽约时报》，1942 年 11 月 1 日。

“Praise the Lord Song Bores Its Originator,” The New York Times , September 17, 1943.

“赞美主歌曲是其创作者”，《纽约时报》，1943 年 9 月 17 日。

Sean Scanlon is a World War II Military Historian at the Jenny Craig Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.

肖恩·斯坎伦 (Sean Scanlon) 是珍妮·克雷格战争与民主研究所的二战军事历史学家。

Not only was the vessel a hometown hero, the USS New Orleans also participated in almost every major campaign against Japan.

新奥尔良号航空母舰不仅是家乡英雄，而且还参加了几乎所有对日重大战役。

And when faced with great tragedy, she always bounced back, much like the people of New Orleans did after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

当面对巨大的悲剧时，她总是能振作起来，就像新奥尔良人民在 2005 年卡特里娜飓风等灾难之后所做的那样。

A product of post Great War naval treaties and launched amid rising global tensions, the USS New Orleans forged a bond with its namesake city in the years before World War II

新奥尔良号航空母舰是一战后海军条约的产物，在全球紧张局势不断升级的情况下下水，在第二次世界大战前的几年里与同名城市建立了联系

This unique artifact tells a one-of-a-kind story from the day that irrevocably changed the world.

这件独特的文物讲述了一个独一无二的故事，从不可挽回地改变世界的那一天起。

On April 23, 2026, the DPAA announced that it had met the 60 percent threshold for the USS Arizona Unknown Identification Project.

2026 年 4 月 23 日，DPAA 宣布已达到亚利桑那号战舰未知身份识别项目 60% 的门槛。

Not only was the vessel a hometown hero, the USS New Orleans also participated in almost every major campaign against Japan.

新奥尔良号航空母舰不仅是家乡英雄，而且还参加了几乎所有对日重大战役。

And when faced with great tragedy, she always bounced back, much like the people of New Orleans did after disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

当面对巨大的悲剧时，她总是能振作起来，就像新奥尔良人民在 2005 年卡特里娜飓风等灾难之后所做的那样。

One of the last living survivors of the December 7, 1941, attack, Schab was serving as a musician and sailor aboard the USS Dobbin when Japanese planes struck Pearl Harbor.

沙布是 1941 年 12 月 7 日袭击事件中最后的幸存者之一，当日本飞机袭击珍珠港时，他正在多宾号航空母舰上担任音乐家和水手。

Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor was a shock to the Americans, but it was preceded by serious intelligence failures

日本偷袭珍珠港令美国人震惊，但在此之前却发生了严重的情报失误

Jessie Alton Mahaffey was aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma when Japanese air forces attacked the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

1941 年 12 月 7 日，日本空军袭击珍珠港美国太平洋舰队时，杰西·奥尔顿·马哈菲 (Jessie Alton Mahaffey) 正在俄克拉荷马号战列舰上。

The Operation 85 project aims to identify unknown servicemen who perished aboard the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“85 行动”项目旨在识别在珍珠港袭击期间在亚利桑那号航空母舰上丧生的不明军人身份。

Bravery—even unto death—was evident everywhere as Imperial Japan’s air and sea forces struck the US naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

1941 年 12 月 7 日，日本帝国的空军和海军部队袭击了美国珍珠港海军基地，处处可见英勇无畏的精神，甚至至死不渝。

945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 info@nationalww2museum.org 504-528-1944

945 Magazine Street, 新奥尔良, LA 70130 info@nationalww2museum.org 504-528-1944