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The Sinking Of The Ruben James

from I'll Always Sing by Betty and the Baby Boomers

/

lyrics

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

One hundred men went down to their dark watery grave
When that good ship went down only forty-four were saved.
Was the last day of October they saved that forty-four
From the cold icy waters off that cold iceland shore.

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

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

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 many years have passed since those brave men are gone
And those cold icy waters are so still and calm.
Now many years have passed and still I wonder why
The worst of men must fight and the best of men must die

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

credits

from I'll Always Sing, released January 1, 1992

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Betty and the Baby Boomers image

Betty and the Baby Boomers New Paltz, New York

An acoustic folk quintet from New York's Hudson Valley. Folk song magazine Sing Out! described the group as “a refreshing reminder of the halcyon days of American folk music” and the CD [Tumbling Through the Stream of Days] as “an enthusiastic testament to the sheer joy of singing and playing music.” ... more

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