The Sinking Of The Titanic
by Robert Brown
"The one that I got
ahold of and made a tune to was written as a poem in an
old newspaper, the New York Clipper, I believe. The ship
was sunk April 13, 1912, and the paper came out May 23.
I got ahold of this old paper—they were saving songs and
poems, you know—it was about 1914 when I got ahold of
it. I wasn't too old. I got to humming a tune, around ,
and my cousins all got to humming and singing, and
finally I got it together. I'd play it wherever I
went—at any party or anything like that—and everybody
liked it. That's all I could hear, 'Play the Titanic,'
'Play the Titanic.' And I thought, well, when I got
ready to go to New York to make records, I'd do that
one. It sold big. Five different companies put it on."
—Ernest "Pop" Stoneman
The sinking of the Titanic, one of the first great media
events of modern times, prompted the creation of a
number of "event" songs, most of which have been long
forgotten. One newspaper actually sponsored a contest
which resulted in dozens of entries. Pop Stoneman's
version, which he says he adapted from a newspaper poem,
has driven out almost all of the other versions. While
almost nothing is known about the copyright holder,
Robert Brown, it is possible that he wrote the original
verses of the famous Stoneman song.
The Sinking Of The Titanic
It was on a Monday morning, just about one o'clock
That the great Titanic began to reel and rock
Then the people began to cry, saying, "Lord, I'm going
to die"
It was sad when that great ship went down.
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 were building the Titanic, they said what they
would do
They were going to build a ship that the water would 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.
When they left England they were making for the shore
The rich declared they would not ride with the poor
So they sent the poor below, they were the first that
had to go
It was sad when that great ship went down.
When the boat was out sailing with men all around
God in heaven on His throne said that men should not
drown
If you trust Him and obey, He will save you all today
It was sad when that great ship went down.
The people on the ship were a long ways from home
With friends all around then, didn't know their time had
come
For death came riding by, sixteen hundred had to die
It was sad when that great ship went down.
When the Titanic was sinking, for decent people free
It was said they were singing, "Nearer my God to Thee"
Nearer My God To Thee
When that great ship went down.
