"Rock Steady" Children's Cheers (Examples & Comments) Updated With Additional Examples

Edited by Azizi Powell

This pancoocjams post was originally published on May 20, 2013. An additional example was added on June 6, 2013 and three additional examples were added on July 6, 2017.

This post is Part II of a two part series on the American R&B songs & children's cheerleader cheers that have the title "Rock Steady".

Part II of this series features videos & transcriptions of a number of examples of the children's cheerleader cheer with the name "Rock Steady". Part II also includes my comments about the probable military cadence "source" for these "Rock Steady" cheers, and my comments about the meaning of the term "rock steady".

Part I features videos of Aretha Franklin's 1971 dance song "Rock Steady" and The Whispers' 1987 dance song "Rock Steady". Part I also includes my comments about the inspiration for the title of those two songs, the meaning of the term "rock steady" in those two songs, and information about a dance movement that was usually performed for those two songs.

Click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/examples-of-comments-about-aretha.html for Part I of this series.

The content of this post is presented for folkloric, cultural, and recreational purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to those cheerleaders who are featured in this post. Thanks also to the YouTube publishers of these videos.

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THE MILITARY CADENCE SOURCE FOR "ROCK STEADY" CHEERS
I believe that the cheerleader cheer "Rock Steady" comes from the military cadence with the same title. Here's one version of that cheer from
DS2000, http://community.armystudyguide.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/9651093521/m/2181065521, posted 22 January 2005 22:06
Rock, (reply) ROCK!
steady, (reply) STEADY!
Roll, (reply) ROLL!
Ready (reply) READY! - sometimes I use EASY here instead of READY. Or sometimes after they say ROLL, I will scream, "I can't here you!" then go back to the "Rock" at the beginning.

You've got the right, the right to rock steady, ( reply is the same )

You've got the right to ROLL when you're ready, ( reply is the same )


(then you say the top part again twice)


Rock, Rock, Steady, Steady Charlie Rock is always ready! ( reply is same)
Rock, Rock Steady, Steady 1st Platoon is always ready! ( reply is same)

That's about all I can recall right now. If I think of anymore I'll add it. Feel free to insert your own words as well. I do it all the time! LOL

Hope this helps!

Location: Baumholder, Germany....
-snip-
Compare the line "Charlie Rock is always ready" with theses lines from some versions of the children's cheer"s "cause our team is always ready" and "cause your team ain't even ready".

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/rock-steady-military-cadences-with.html for examples of Rock Steady military cadences.

The 1987 "Rock Steady" song by The Whispers and the 1971 "Rock Steady" song by Aretha Franklin may have influenced the popularity of the "Rock Steady" cheer. However, I don't think that those R&B songs were the actual source for the children's cheer.

I also don't believe that the Jamaican Rocksteady music genre wasn't a source for these cheers because Americans are still unfamiliar with Rocksteady music.

*By "children's cheerleader cheers", I mean cheerleader cheers & chants that are performed by children and teens in community cheerleader squads and/or in school cheerleader squads prior to colleges or universities.

Click this pancocojams post for information about Rocksteady music: http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/05/classic-jamaican-rocksteady-songs-sound.html.

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THE MEANING OF THE TERM "ROCK STEADY" IN CHEERLEADING CHEERS
In children's cheerleader cheers, "rock steady" means "to consistently do something very well: i.e. "to consistently excel on the athletic field." In these cheers "rock steady" is either given as a compliment "The [name of the athletic team] rocks steady", of as a diss (insult) "Your team don't rock steady"/ Your team "ain't even ready" (isn't prepared to best our team). In its complimentary form, "rock steady" is related to the American colloquial expression "You rock!" (meaning "You're great.".)

At the same time, "rock steady: in those cheers refers to steadily rhythmically moving your hips from side to side to the beat.

Aside from societal imposed gender expectations (that males would swing their hips much less than females), whether any hip swinging is done while performing the "rock steady" cheer or how much hip swinging is done while performing that cheer depends on the type of cheerleading squad. If the cheerleading squad adheres to mainstream cheerleading, that squad is much less likely to perform this cheer or others like it which are either of African American origin or have been influenced by African American songs. Furthermore, even if that squad were to perform a "Rock Steady" cheer, because of the admonition in mainstream cheerleading against cheerleaders swinging their hips, very little to no hip swinging would be done.

In contrast, in a stomp & shake cheerleading squad, hip swinging is an integral feature of cheerleading routines, and hip swinging would be performed while chanting the Rock Steady cheer and other cheers like it.

It appears from YouTube videos that a significant number of American children's cheerleading squads have adopted some degree of hip shaking into their cheer routines. That is particularly the case with chants such as "Rock Steady" which are inspired by if not originated from African American culture.

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FEATURED VIDEOS & TEXT TRANSCRIPTIONS
(These examples are presented in chronological order based on the date of their YouTube posting, with the oldest dated example posted first. The transcriptions are done by me from the videos. Additions & corrections are very welcome.)

Example #1: "Rock Steady" cheer



Sydney Calloway, Uploaded on Jan 16, 2010

Jv cheerleaders preforming rock steady at an away game during a quater at the boys basketball game.

CHEER LYRICS (Example #1)
Rock, rock steady
Cause your team
Ain't even ready
To rock rock rock rock
Steady eddy eddy eddy rock
Rock steady

[repeat several times]
-posted by Sydney Calloway, Uploaded on Jan 16, 2010
-snip-
The words "Steady eddy eddy" are included in many but not all of the "Rock Steady" cheerleading cheers. That phrase isn't found in either Aretha Franklin 1971 "Rock Steady" song or The Whispers' 1987 "Rock Steady" song. My guess is that the phrase "steady eddy eddy eddy" is based on the military cadence line "ready, ready, ready" line in some "Rock Steady" military cadences.

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Example #2: Rock Steady
Pancocojams Editor's note:
This video that was uploaded by markus gray on Jun 8, 2010 is no longer available, as of at least July 6, 2017. Here are the words to that version of this cheer which were posted by markus gray: owever, I'm

"Rock Steady"....you know!!!!

CHEER LYRICS (Example #2)
Squad: Rock (clap clap clap) steady (clap clap clap)
YES we rock, we rock, we rock steady
One person: So what's up girl?
Squad: Rock, (clap clap clap) steady (clap clap clap)
YES we rock, we rock, we rock steady
I said we like to rock.
We like to rock steady.
I said we like to rock.
We like to rock steady.
Hit it. Steddy eddy eddy eddy
Rock.
-posted by markus gray, Uploaded on Jun 8, 2010

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Example #3: PHS CHEERLEADERS Rock Steady



PHSExtraordinary, Uploaded on Nov 14, 2010

ROCK....STEADY......CAUSE YOUR TEAM......AINT EVEN READY!!!!! Lets go Rockets!!!!!! Varsity Cheerleaders

CHEER LYRICS (Example #3)
Rock, rock steady
Cause your team
Ain't even ready
To rock rock rock rock
Rock rock steady
Your team ain�t even ready
To rock rock rock rock
Rock rock steady
Cause our team is always ready
To rock rock rock rock.
-posted by PHSExtraordinary, Uploaded on Nov 14, 2010

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Example #4: Rocksteady cheer



Babydoll5432, Published on Jul 7, 2012
Na na looks crazy

CHEER LYRICS (Example #4)
Rock rock steady
The angels are ready
To rock rock rock rock
Steady eddy eddy eddy
Rock
[repeat multiple times]
-posted by Babydoll5432, Published on Jul 7, 2012

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Example #5: Dailey Tigers "Rock Steady"

.

daileytigers, Published on Nov 17, 2012

CHEER LYRICS (Example #5)
Lead girl- Hey Tigers are you ready
Entire squad: Well get down and rock steady
Well Tigers are ready.
Well get down and rock steady.
Well Tigers are ready.
Well get down and rock steady.
[Do a body patting and foot stomping routine with a sideways body wave movement]

[Same Lead girl] �Rock steady! Ready. Okay.
[Entire squad]
We,
we
are
ready
To
rock rock rock rock
Steady eddy eddy

Rock, rock steady
Your team ain't even ready
To rock rock rock rock
Steady eddy eddy eddy
Rock steady
Your team ain't even ready
To rock rock rock rock
Steady eddy eddy eddy
Rock.
-posted by dailytigers, Published on Nov 17, 2012
-snip-
This transcription doesn't include a description of the squad's entire routine.

This cheerleading squad includes a great deal of foot stomping & body patting in its cheerleading routines.

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Example #6: BEN L. SMITH AND EASTERN GUILFORD CHEER OFF [Added June 6, 2013]



ORIGINALCHEERPHI, Uploaded on Feb 21, 2008

THE EAGLES LETTIN' THE WILDCASTS KNOW THEY AINT READY TO ROCK WITH THEM AT THE ULTIMATE CHEER & DANCE EXPERIENCE TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADING COMPETITION 2007
-snip-
�Wildcasts� is probably a typo for �Wildcats�.
-snip-
Second cheer �rock steady� [.042-1:16]

CHEER LYRICS (Example #6)
Say what, what, what, what*
Your team ain't even ready.
We rock
Steady.
'Cause your team
Ain't even ready
To rock, rock, rock, rock
To rock
steady
'Cause your team
Ain't even ready
To rock, rock, rock, rock.
Your team ain't even ready
To ROCK.
-snip-
*I'm unsure of this transcription. The squad might be saying "We rock, rock, rock, rock."
O(

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ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES ADDED; July 6, 2017
Pancocojams Editor's Note: There are LOTS of examples of children (pre-teens and teens) performing "Rock Steady" cheers. Here are three other examples of these cheers. I've assigned numbers according to the order that I happened upon those examples on YouTube.

Example #7: ROCK STEADY CHEER by Newark Varsity Squad



Audrey Schaener, Published on Jan 24, 2017
-snip-
This high school cheerleading squad is performing "Rock Steady" in a stomp & shake style.

CHEER LYRICS (Example #7)
Rock
Steady
'Cause your team ain't even ready to
Rock, Rock, Rock, Rock Steady.
-Newark Varsity Squad cheer, transcribed from the video by Azizi Powell

I'm not sure where this high school is located.

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Example #8: Rock Steady Cheer


MCE Cheer Published on Apr 12, 2013

Candid practice videos from the beginning of the year.

McEvans Cheer
-snip-
This cheer beat reminds me of a slow down version of foot stomping cheers.

There is a McEvans High School in Shaw, Mississippi. I don't know if that is where the students featured in this video are from.

CHEER LYRICS (Example #8)
Rock
Whoo!
Rock Steady
Alright Alright
Rock Rock Rock
Whoo!
Rock steady

[add more foot stomping]

Rock
Rock steady
Rock Rock Rock
Rock steady
-McEvans High School cheerleaders, transcription by Azizi Powell from the video (additions and corrections are welcome)

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Example #9: NHS Rock Steady Cheer 10 4 13



Nottingham High School Video, Published on Oct 8, 2013
-snip-
I'm not sure where this school is located. Google search lists a Nottingham High School in Syracuse, New York and a Nottingham, High School in Hamilton Township, New Jersey.

CHEER LYRICS (Example #9)
Rock
Rock steady
Oh yeah!

[repeat this entire portion multiple times]

Rock, rock, rock, rock
Steady steady, steady, steady
'cause he's not even ready
Rock
[repeat entire cheer]
-Nottingham High School cheerleaders, transcription by Azizi Powell from the video (additions and corrections are welcome)

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