December the 7th,
we heard about Pearl,
we knew we'd be next on the list.
One man of our Corps, 450 no more,
all swore to the death to resist.
Wake Island, Wake Island,
Wake Island, Wake Island,
it's not even marked on the maps.
Akare's her name to honor and fame,
And we stopped the advance of the Japs.
Cut off from supplies with no hope of aid,
We sighted the first Japanese.
With thousands of troops
and a task force of ships,
They thought they would take
us with ease.
Wake Island, Wake Island,
Wake Island, Wake Island,
It's not even marked on
the maps.
Macquarie's their name,
to honor and fame
We stopped the advance of the Japs
They sent in their subs,
their ships and their planes
They shelled us by day
and by night
Surrender, they said,
we laughed at their threats
We're only beginning to fight
Wake Is land, Wake Island, Wake Island
It's not even marked on the maps
The Corps raised her name
to honor and fame,
We've stopped the ad
vance of the Japs.
Our 450 cost 6 ,000 Japs,
Our fighters downed 28 planes.
We sank two destroyers
and one submarine,
Six others got shelled for their pains.
Wake Island, Wake Island, Wake Island,
It's not even marked on the maps.
The Corps is her name, to honor and fame,
We stop the advance of the Japs.
Our plan was to fight
to the very last man,
But Devereaux gave this command,
There's a thousand civilians
I can't sacrifice,
We'll have to surrender our band.
Wake Island, Wake Island,
It's not even marked on the maps.
A call raised her name to
honor and fame,
When we stopped the ad
vance of the Japs.
Yes, we laid on our arms
on the 23rd day,
The Japs cheered the news of defeat.
But they could not believe
a few crummy marines
Had stopped the whole
Japanese fleet.
Wake Is land, Wake Island, Wake Island,
It's not even marked on the maps.
A chorus her name to honor and fame
Would stop the advance
of the jazz