Sinking of the Reuben James Lyrics

The song Sinking of the Reuben James is performed by Woody Guthrie in the album named American Folk Legend in the year 2005 .



Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea

Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
What were their names, tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James

Well, a hundred men went down in that dark watery grave
When that good ship went down only forty-four were saved
That was the last day of October we saved the forty-four
From the cold ocean waters and the cold icy shore

It was there in the dark of that uncertain night
That we watched for the U-boats and waited for a fight
Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion roared
And they laid the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor

Now tonight there are lights in our country so bright
In the farms and in the cities they're telling of the fight
And now our mighty battleships will steam the bounding main
And remember the name of that good Reuben James




Woody Guthrie - American Folk Legend

Dec 2005

  1. Pastures of Plenty
  2. So Long (It's Been Good to Know Yuh)
  3. Hard, Ain't It Hard
  4. Car Song
  5. Ramblin' Round
  6. Ship in the Sky
  7. Sinking of the Reuben James
  8. Do-Re-Mi
  9. Jesus Christ
  10. When the Curfew Blows (Curfew Blow)
  11. 1913 Massacre
  12. Talking Fishing Blues
  13. Pretty Boy Floyd
  14. Grand Coulee Dam
  15. Hard Travelin'
  16. Wreck of the Old '97
  17. Sally Goodin'
  18. Farmer-Labor Train
  19. I Ain't Got No Home in This World Anymore
  20. Whoopee Ti Yi Yo, Get Along Little Dogies
  21. Jesse James
  22. Going Down the Road Feeling Bad
  23. When That Great Ship Went Down
  24. Billy the Kid
  25. Buffalo Gals
  26. Dead or Alive (Poor Lazarus)
  27. Slipknot (Hangknot, Skipknot)
  28. New York Town
  29. This Land Is Your Land
  30. Buffalo Skinners
  31. Mule Skinner Blues
  32. Jarama Valley
  33. New Found Land
  34. Talking Columbia
  35. Talking Sailor
  36. Cowboy Waltz
  37. Go Tell Aunt Rhody
  38. Chisholm Trail
  39. Ranger's Command
  40. Stackolee
  41. Danville Girl
  42. Better World A-Comin'


Sinking of the Reuben James