Topic: The Titanic

[uncle bud]

The Cofer Brothers do a Titanic song called "Great Ship Went Down", though it is not the song done by Versey and Smith and others. Much more old-time. Hard not to like these fellars.



FIDDLE INTRO SOLO

Titanic was a ship, she was on a moderate trip
To sail across the Atlantic Ocean wide
Oh, it was a pleasure trip, millionaires on board the ship
But none never lived to reach the other side

REFRAIN: Titanic was her name, Atlantic was her fame
She sank about five hundred miles from shore
Sixteen hundred were at sea, went down with angry waves
Went down with angry waves to rise no more

FIDDLE SOLO

Oh, it was a fearful scene, just like an awful dream
To see so many perish beneath the waves
Children, husbands and their wives, were pleading for their lives
But they all went down beneath the angry waves

REFRAIN: Titanic was her name, Atlantic was her fame
She sank about five hundred miles from shore
Sixteen hundred were at sea, went down with angry waves
Went down with angry waves to rise no more

FIDDLE SOLO

Was a dark and moonless night, and not a rim of light
To let them see the horrors of the sea
Oh, it was a solemn sound, the ship was going down
To hear the band play "Nearer My God To Thee"

REFRAIN: Titanic was her name, Atlantic was her fame
She sank about five hundred miles from shore
Sixteen hundred were at sea, went down with angry waves
Went down with angry waves to rise no more

FIDDLE SOLO

[wreid75]

I gave a lecture years ago on this song in prewar music and how this event was repackaged as a form of social protest.  The students couldn't rap their brain around what was being done and the imagery used in so many of these songs.  I did burn off a bunch of these songs onto a cd to hand out to the students.  Hopefully a few of them really listened later on and liked what the heard. 

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Vernon Dalhart recorded a version of "The Sinking of the Titanic" in 1927.  His version sounds to be influenced very much by Ernest Stoneman's 1924 version. 



It was on one Monday morning, just about one o'clock
When the great Titanic began to reel and rock
Then the people began to cry, saying, "Lord, we're gonna die."
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

When they built the great Titanic, they said what would they do
They said they'd build a ship that water could not go through
But God, with His mighty hand, showed the world that it could not stand
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

Harmonica solo

When they heard the signal ring, they were headed for the shore
The rich folks, they declared, they wouldn't ride with the poor
So they sent the poor below, they was the first, then, had to go
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

When the people in the ship were a long ways from home
With the people all around the, didn't know their time had come
But Death came riding by, sixteen hundred had to die
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

All best,
Johnm

[Pan]

Hi all,

I came across this fascinating animation on the sinking of Titanic. It's in real time, so it lasts 2 hrs 40 mins (!). Beneath the video, on the video's description, you'll find a list of main points to jump to.



For a soundtrack, why not listen to all the songs mentioned in this thread, that could be found on YouTube, on a songlist I compiled.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNEJV1lNKyyVC8vJsrm_sm7pIdPlFNAMZ

Cheers

Pan

[Bunker Hill]

Some folk hereabouts might like to know that Chris Smith wrote an extremely interesting and detailed examination of the topic in "When That Great Ship Went Down: Black Songs About the 'Titanic'." Talking Blues no. 9/10 (1979, p 24-31, 43) which, of course, took on board all the 'travellin' man' elements and narrative 'toasts'. He updated this for talk he gave at a black music seminar in 1991, "The Titanic, a Case Study of Religious and Secular Attitudes in African-American Song". This was published in the 1996 as a chapter in the book Saints And Sinners (ed. R. Sacre). It's 15 pages long but should anybody require a OCR scan, PM me with an email address and I'll set about doing it.

I still have the scan of Sacre's Titanic feature mentioned in the Weenie discussion of July 2006. Unlikely that there's much interest after all this time but if there is....just do what it suggests in the bold typeface. 

[Pan]

Hi all

After reading the Chris Smith article, Bunker Hill mentions, I noticed that we haven't included Ma Rainey's "Titanic Man Blues", takes 1 & 2, in this thread. She uses Titanic more metaphorically than literally, I believe, but anyway, here are the two takes.





Cheers

Pan

[Johnm]

Hi all,
It has been a while since this topic was posted to, but I recently found this version by George Reneau, "The Blind Musician of the Smoky Mountains", recorded in New York on October 14, 1925.  Reneau accompanied himself on harmonica on a rack and backed himself out of D position in standard tuning.  Here is his performance of "The Sinking of the Titanic":



INTRO

It was on one Monday morning, just about one o'clock
When the great Titanic began to reel and rock
The people all began to cry, saying "Lord, we're going to die."
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

When they built the great Titanic, they said what should they do
They said they'd build a ship that water could not go through
But God, with his mighty hand showed the world it could not stand
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

When they heard the signal ring, they were headed for the shore
The rich folks declared, they wouldn't ride with the poor
So they sent the poor below, they were cursed and had to go
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

Well the people on the ship were a long ways from home
Well the people all around them didn't know their time had come
But Death came riding by, sixteen hundred had to die
It was sad when that great ship went down

REFRAIN: It was sad when that great ship went down
It was sad when that great ship went down
There were husbands and wives, little children lost their lives
It was sad when that great ship went down

OUTRO

All best,
Johnm

[Johnm]

Hi all,
Banjochris alluded to Darby & Tarlton's version, "After the Sinking of the Titanic", earlier in this thread.  I'd never heard it, and thought to see if it had been put up on youtube.  I apologize if this video is not viewable by non-U. S. weenies.  It is very similar melodically to the Carter Family's version, as Chris noted.  Here is "After the Sinking of the Titanic":



INTRO

When the moon rose in its glory
And it drifted to the golden West
It told a sad new story
Sixteen hundred had gone to rest

Captain Smith surely must have been a-drinking
Not knowing that he was doing wrong
He tried to erase the record
And let the Titanic go down

GUITAR INTERLUDE

Well, the porter had retired and was sleeping
He was dreaming of some sad dream
He dreamed the Titanic was sinking
Way out on the bottom of the sea

GUITAR SOLO

Mr. Smith, he says to the rich man,
"Oh, try and come to life.
Try and save your baby,
Also your little loving wife."

GUITAR SOLO

Mrs. Smith heard her husband was a-drowning
Way out on the deep blue sea
She cried out, "Oh Lord, have mercy,
Oh Lord, send him back to me!"

When the sad new reached the city
And the Titanic had gone down
Many widows and poor little orphans
Was walking all around the town

All best,
Johnm