If you have been through army, then you would have heard of the song, Purple Light which is apparently, a popular army marching song. But did you hear the news?

Offensive verse of popular army marching song banned

A vulgar verse of a popular army marching song, Purple Light, has been banned, in an unprecedented move by the Singapore Armed Forces to curb the use of offensive language in camps.

This followed a complaint by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) three months ago that the offensive lyrics condoned violence against women. AWARE was alerted to the offensive lyrics by seven national servicemen during a workshop in July.

The lyrics of the song include this portion, which was reproduced on Aware's Facebook page: 

“Booking out, see my girlfriend
Saw her with another man
Kill the man, rape my girlfriend
With my rifle and my buddy and me.”

Aware’s executive director Corinna Lim said: “These misogynistic lyrics tolerate and normalise the violent sexual abuse of women, condoning gang- rape as a justified punishment for infidelity.”

Army songs like Purple Light and Training To Be Soldiers are military cadences traditionally chanted or sung by soldiers to the beat of a route march or run.

Training to be a soldier….

Tekong March.wmv

News of the ban on the improvised lyrics went viral online, drawing mixed reactions from servicemen. Some servicemen told The Straits Times that lyrics of army songs are often modified and should not be taken seriously.

Credits: The Straits Times

So what do you think of the ban – do you support it or think that it’s uncalled for?
Feel free to air your thoughts below!(:

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