Songs for a Navy WAVE

While doing more sorting today, I came across a little booklet of songs my mother received when she served as a Navy WAVE in the 1940s. I thought I'd share some of them with you just for fun. Sing along with me if you'd like!

(Warning: What follows may not be entirely politically correct!)

WAVES Go Marching On

(Tune: "Battle Hymn of the Republic")

(Okay, I can't figure out how this first verse fits the song, but the last verses do)

We're WAVES in the Navy.

We are sailors dressed in skirts.

Our lives are run on schedule

[I THINK THERE'S A LINE MISSING HERE!]

And we spend our nightly quiet hour

Washing out our shirts,

The WAVES go marching on.

They teach us how to make a bunk

And how to wear our hats

And shine our shoes and clean our rooms

In almost nothing flat.

They put us all in girdles

If we're thin or if we're fat

The WAVES go marching on.

Well fun is fun but now we're done, 

We're kidding on the square,

We didn't join the Navy

For the uniforms we wear;

We joined to help our loved ones

Who are fighting over there.

The WAVES go marching on.

CHORUS:

GLORY, GLORY TO THE NAVY

GLORY, GLORY TO THE NAVY

GLORY, GLORY TO THE NAVY

THE WAVES GO MARCHING ON.

Navy Boots 

(Tune: "The Caissons Go Rolling Along")

Navy Boots, new recruits

Don your hats and don your boots

Join the sailors a-swinging along.

Column right, left oblique, square your corners, do it right

As the Navy goes singing along.

For it's one, two, three,

Guide right there Company

Call out the cadence loud and strong.

Make them proud of you,

Girl in Navy Blue.

Join the sailors and fight right along.

Join the sailors and fight right along.

Boots of the Navy

(Tune: "Hinky Dinky Parley Voo")

We are the girls they call recruits--

Parley Voo

We are the girls they call recruits--

Parley Voo

We are the girls they call recruits

All we have are our hats and boots,

Hinky Dinky Parley Voo.

They gave us our hats, they gave us our boots--

Parley Voo

They gave us our hats, they gave us our boots--

Parley Voo

They gave us our hats, they gave us our boots

But when are we going to get our suits?

Hinky Dinky Parley Voo.

We are the girls of 612--

Parley Voo

We are the girls of 612--

Parley Voo

We are the girls of 612

We never know just what to do,

Hinky Dinky Parley Voo.

Navy Spirit

(Tune: "You've Got to Be a Football Hero")

We're proud to be a part of Navy.

And stand to colors with the red, white and blue.

We'll back our men in all that they're fighting for

We'll do our share to shorten this war.

You know we're going to miss you, Hunter,

But we're off to help them win.

We may not go to see

But we'll try to be

A credit to the USN. [US Navy]

[Hunter referred to the training center for Navy WAVES located at Hunter College in New York]

WAVES in Navy Blue

(Tune: George M. Cohan's "Yankee Doodle Dandy")

We are WAVES of dear old Navy,

Navy hearts beat in us too.

One for all and all for Uncle Sam

And for the red, white and blue.

We've a lot of work before us

And we're going to see it through.

Navy WAVES all march together,

To defend the nation;

We are the WAVES in Navy Blue.

There are many more songs in this booklet, but they're all to songs I've never heard of, such as: "Bell Bottom Skirts", sung to the tune of "Bell Bottom Trousers"; "Salute to the WACS", sung to the tune of "Skinna-Ma-Rink"; "Don't Make My Girl a Sailor", sung to the tune "Don't Send My Boy to Harvard", and "Ginny, the Ninny of the First Platoon", sung to the tune of "The Strip Polka". (Yes, I know, amazing that songs with such titles ever went out of fashion!)

And of course, no book of Navy songs would be complete without the following:

Anchors aweigh, my boys, Anchors aweigh.

Farewell to college joys we sail at break of day-day-day-day!

Through our last night ashore,

Drink to the foam,

Until we meet once more here's wishing you a happy voyage home.

The preface to this little booklet reads:

"The spontaneous singing of WAVES as they march is the best indication of their spirit. Original songs submitted at Song Fests, supplemented by other Navy songs in this book, set a precedent for you who follow. Carry the book with you, sing and add your own songs; for a singing crew is a happy crew and a happy crew is a good one." W.F. Amsden, Captain, USN

And here's the Dedication:

Singing as they march and work, thousands of American women have upheld the morale at the United States Navy Training School. To them, for their fine spirit, this book is dedicated. In the following words that spirit is expressed.

We are singing WAVES of the USA,

We sing as we march along;

We sing, we sing, we sing,

Our hearts are filled with song;

For we are singing seamen

Of the land of the brave and the free,

We are singing WAVES for Uncle Sam

And we sing for victory.

We are working WAVES of the USA,

We work from dawn 'til night;

We do a job to free a gob

So he can join the fight.

And when the war is over

And our men are home to stay

We can proudly shout we did our part

For the good old USA.

(May be sung to the tune: "Georgia Tech")

To all our service men and women, now and then, WE SALUTE YOU!