The Titanic (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "The Titanic" | |
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Original artist | William and Versey Smith 1927 |
"The Titanic" (also known as "It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down" and "Titanic (Husbands and Wives)") is a folk song and children's song most known for being sung in the United States at summer camp. "The Titanic" is about the sinking of the RMS Titanic which sank on April 15, 1912 after striking an iceberg.
Contents |
[edit] Background
There are several regional variations on the song. According to Newman I. White's 1928 book American Negro Folk-Songs, "The Titanic" has been traced back to 1915 or 1916 in Hackleburg, Alabama. Other versions from around 1920 are documented in the Frank C. Brown Collection at Duke University in North Carolina. Early recordings include Ernest Stoneman's "The Titanic" in September 1924 and William and Versey Smith's "When That Great Ship Went Down" in August 1927.[1]. According to Jeff Place, in his notes for the American Anthology of Folk Music: "African-American musicians, in particular, found it noteworthy and ironic that company policies had kept Blacks from the doomed ship; the sinking was also attributed by some to divine retribution."
[edit] Lyrics
The song is sung in an upbeat tone despite its subject,[2] an example of schadenfreude on the part of African American singers. The song's chorus provides an example of the song's style.
They build a ship Titanic To sail the ocean blue They thought they build a ship That no water can go through
But the Lord of mighty hands (?) Knew the ship would never land It was sad when the big ship went down
(CHORUS!) Oh it was sad (oh it was sad) Oh it was sad (oh it was sad) It was sad when the big ship Went down to the bottom, where the Husbands and wives, and the Children lost their lives, It was sad when the big ship went down
[edit] Recordings
- William and Versey Smith on Anthology of American Folk Music, Smithsonian Folkways 1952
- Lead Belly on The Titanic (Volume 4)
- Bessie Jones on The Alan Lomax Collection Sampler Rounder 1997
- Washboard Jungle on The Wash Cycle, Washboard Jungle Records, 1993
- Woodie Guthrie on The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1: This Land Is Your Land, Smithsonian Folkways 1999
-1st verse- ohh they built the ship titanic, and when they had it through, theyy thought they had a ship water'd never leak through, but the lords almighty hand, said that ship would never land, it was sad when they great ship went down.
(CHORUS) it was sad (so sad)
it was sad (so sad) it was sad when they great ship went down, hit the bottom of the (guys sing sea and hold it slowly rising in pitch) (girls sing husbands and wifes little children lost their lives) (all rejoin) it was sad when that great ship went down.
-2nd verse-
When that ship left England it was making for the shore, The rich had declared that they would not ride with the poor, So they put the poor below, They were the first to go.
(REPEAT CHORUS)
-3rd verse- well they sailed into and ice berg, and thought they'd have ice tea, but instead they went right down into the sea, and they all went down so quick that they all got deadly sick, it was sad when that great ship went down. (REPEAT CHORUS)
[edit] References
- Habing, B.. "The Great Titanic - American Folk Song". PotW.org. http://www.potw.org/archive/potw76a.html. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
- Levang, Rex. "It Was Sad When the Great Ship Went Down". Minnesota Public Radio. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/9901_titanic/index.shtml. Retrieved December 2, 2005.
- White, Newman I. (1928). American Negro Folk-Songs. Harvard University Press.
- Google: Titanic
[edit] External links
- The Titanic (It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down) – Lyrics.
- The Sinking Of The Titanic – Music and lyrics.
