One of the enduring songs in American summer camps, often sung by children, revolves around the infamous Titanic disaster. This popular tune, known by titles such as Titanic (Husbands and Wives) or It Was Sad When That Great Ship Went Down, is a staple in camp songbooks, online resources, and even some recordings. Instead of attempting to define a single “correct” version from the numerous regional variations of this modern camp song, this article aims to explore its historical roots and trace it back to its earliest known forms, focusing on the Titanic Song Lyrics that have resonated through generations.
It’s important to note that this particular song is just one of several distinct Titanic folk songs that emerged after the tragedy. While this article focuses on the lineage of the camp song version, other Titanic folk songs exist and are referenced at the end for further exploration into the broader spectrum of titanic song lyrics.
Folk songs inspired by the Titanic disaster appeared remarkably quickly after the ship sank in April 1912. Within a decade, these songs began to be documented in literature. Perkins (1922) recounts witnessing a blind preacher selling a self-composed ballad about the disaster on a train just a week after the sinking:
The ‘Titanic’ sank on Sunday, April 14, 1912. The following Sunday I saw on a train a blind preacher selling a ballad he had composed on the disaster. The title was “Didn’t that ship go down?” I remember one stanza:—
“God Almighty talked like a natural man, Spoke so the people could understand.”
Early recordings of titanic song lyrics also emerged swiftly. Cantor Joseph Rosenblatt recorded El Mole Rachamim (für Titanik) as early as June 29, 1913 (King, Sapoznik, and Waits, 2007), demonstrating the immediate musical response to the tragedy.
An early documented version of the song we recognize today is found in White’s (1928) American Negro Folk-Songs. White notes hearing the song in 1915 or 1916, sung by a “Negro on streets of Hackleburg in Northwest Ala.” The melody is also included in the book’s appendix. Another early iteration appears in the Frank C. Brown Collection (Newman, Belden, and Hudson, 1952). This version, labeled ‘version D’ and titled The Great Titanic, was contributed by Miss Fanny Grogan on Nov. 30, 1920, from Zionville, NC. Laws (1964) catalogues this as “D 24, The Titanic I,” noting its similarity to other versions within the Frank C. Brown Collection and one collected in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, in 1929 from Miss Lara Ogle, transcribed by Henry (1931). These early findings highlight the rapid spread and adaptation of titanic song lyrics within American folk traditions.
The Popularity of Early Recordings
The ballad gained further traction through early recordings. Ernest Stoneman recorded The Titanic on September 24, 19241, and William and Versey Smith recorded When That Great Ship Went Down in August 1927. Both recordings are compiled in King, et.al. (2007), and the latter is also available on Smith (1997)2. Stoneman’s rendition proved exceptionally popular, reportedly selling two million copies (Murrells, 1984), indicating a widespread public interest in titanic song lyrics and disaster ballads during this period.
Comparing Early Lyrics: 1915/1916 Alabama Version
The titanic song lyrics from the 1915/1916 version, as documented by White (1928), offer a glimpse into the song’s early form:
The Great Titanic
It was on one Monday morning just about one o’clock
When that great Titanic began to reel and rock;
People began to scream and cry,
Saying, “Lord, am I going to die?”Chorus
It was sad when that great ship went down,
It was sad when that great ship went down,
Husbands and wives and little children lost their lives,
It was sad when that great ship went down.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.While they were building they said what they would do,
We will build a ship that water can’t go through;
But God with power in hand
Showed the world that it could not stand.Those people on that ship were a long ways from home,
With friends all around they did n’t know that the time had come;
Death came riding by,
Sixteen hundred had to die.While Paul was sailing his men around,
God told him that not a man should drown;
If you trust and obey,
I will save you all to-day.You know it must have been awful with those people on the sea,
They say that they were singing, “Nearer My God to Thee.”
While some were homeward bound,
Sixteen hundred had to drown.
The North Carolina version ‘D’ from 1920 shares a similar chorus with the Alabama version:
Oh it was sad when that great ship went down.
Their were husbands and their wives,
Little children lost their lives.
It was sad when that great ship went down.
Both versions prominently feature the repeating line “It was sad when the great ship went down” at the end of each verse. While minor wording variations exist across versions, a key difference lies in the verse order between the 1915/1916 Alabama lyrics, the 1920 North Carolina version, and the early recordings by Stoneman and Smith. The table below illustrates these differences in verse arrangement, showing how titanic song lyrics were adapted and rearranged over time:
| Order of Verses |
|————————-|———————|————————|————————|
| | 1915/1916 Alabama | 1920 North Carolina D | 1924 Stoneman Recording | 1927 Smith Recording |
|————————-|———————|————————|————————|————————|
| Verse Order | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | 1, 3, 2, 6, 4, 5 | 1, 3, 2, 4 | 1, 2, 2, 4, 4, first half of 3 |
These variations in verse order and slight lyric modifications demonstrate the fluid nature of folk songs passed down through oral tradition and early recordings. The core narrative and emotional impact of the titanic song lyrics, however, remained consistent, ensuring the song’s continued relevance and transmission through generations, eventually evolving into the popular camp song known today.
Notes:
1 – Russell (2004) clarifies that the September 24 dating of Stoneman’s recording refers to an unreleased track, with another recording of the same song made on January 8, 1925.
2 – The accompanying text for Smith’s recording suggests a similarity to a song in the Frank C. Brown Collection at Duke, attributed to W.O. Smith of Oxford, NC in 1920. However, its resemblance to other versions listed above is stronger, potentially questioning Smith’s claim and its implications for the geographical origins of William and Versey Smith.
References:
4. Henry, M.E. (1931). More Songs from the Southern Highlands. Journal of American Folk-Lore, 44, 111-112.
5. King, C.C., Sapoznik, H., and Waits, T. eds. (2007). People Take Warning!: Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs, 1913-1938. [CD] New York: Tompkins Square.
6. Laws, G.M. (1964). Native American Balladray, Revised Edition. Philadelphia: the American Folklore Society.
7. Murrells, J. (1984). Million Selling Records from the 1900s to the 1980s: An Illustrated Directory. London: B.T. Batsford, Ltd.
8. Perkins, A.E. (1922). Negro Spirituals from the Far South. Journal of American Folk-Lore, 35, 223.
9. Russell, T. (2004). Country Music Records: A Dicography, 1921-1942. New York: Oxford University Press.
10. Smith, H. (1997). Anthology of American Folk Music. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Folkways/Sony Music Special Products.
11. White, Newman I. (1928). American Negro Folk-Songs. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
12. White, Newman, I., Belden, H.M., Hudson, A.P. eds. (1952). The Frank C. Brown Collection of North Carolina Folklore, Volume Two. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Please reference White (1928) for the 1915/1916 version of the song lyrics. This page itself can be cited as:
13. Habing, B. (2008, September 28). The Great Titanic – American Folk Song. Retrieved from http://www.potw.org/archive/potw76a.html
