Lyr Req: Titanic (Leadbelly)

Subject: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 12:19 AM

Jimmy, the banjo player of the Starboard Watch, plays and sings a Leadbelly song about the Titanic, a terrific, bluesy piece that I can't find in the DB, either by asking for Leadbelly songs or songs about the Titanic. Anyone know it? Is it IN the DB but unlinked to either its author or its subject? If not, does anyone know the words? It's a terrific bluesy ballad, a gas to play, and I want to add it to my repertoire (I stand behind Jimmy and can't hear the words very well, particularly when he's singing with blues intonatian, compared with the clarity of most of the shanties we do (many of which I'm also struggling to lear

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Art Thieme
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 12:41 AM

Charlie,

It was on my first LP---years ago. Let me know in a private message what your address is and I'll dub that for ya onto a cassette and send it off..

Art.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 01:09 AM

Art, I'd appreciate that very much. Is there any chance Waterbug is gonna get off their butts and release more of your stuff on CD?

--seed

Subject: Lyr Add: TITANIC (Huddie Ledbetter / Lead Belly)
From: _gargoyle
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 03:27 AM

TITANIC
Words and music by Huddie Ledbetter
Folkways Music Publishers
Copyright 1936

Captain Smith, when he got his load
Mighta heared him holl'in', All aboa'd
Cryin', Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well.

Jack Johnson wanted to ge on boa'd;
Captain Smith hollered, "I ain' haulin' no coal."
Cryin', Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well.

It was midnight on the sea,
Band playin', "Nearer My God to Thee."
Cryin', Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well.

Had them lifeboats aroun'
, Savin' the women, lettin' the men go down.
Cryin', Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well.

When the women got out on land,
Cryin', "Lawd, have mercy on my man."
Cryin', Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well.

Jack Johnson heard the mighty shock,
Mighta seen the black rascal doin' the Eagle Rock.
Cryin', Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well.

Black man oughta shout for joy,
Never lost a girl or either a boy.
Cryin', Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well.

Hope this helps you Mr. Seed
Consider it a "peace offering"
Your most humble servant - gargoyle

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Stewie
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 03:38 AM

Dave Ray did an excellent version of this song. It is now reissued on CD: KR&G 'The Return of Koerner, Ray and Glover' Red House RHR CD 131.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: BSeed(Charles Kratz)
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 04:56 AM

Thank you, Gargoyle. Peace offering gratefully accepted. I thought you got rather harshly treated in that other thread (I came back to it after things had settled down a bit and didn't want to stir things up again). I'm sure you weren't intending to imply that the woman wasn't worthy of consideration here; you were just striking a blow for thread purity, but it's a lost cause. The threads have evolved into a social organism as well as an informational one. The Digital Tradition is still vibrant and possessed of a voracious appetite, and you do a great job of feeding it.

I actually enjoy about 90 percent of the exchanges we have--the long term argument we have over Pacifica vs its member stations, for example. We are on opposite sides of the question (unless you're just playing devil's advocate for the sake of a fight) and I'm enjoying that one, and I'll have to admit I enjoy twisting your tail from time to time. There are some ways you have of expressing yourself and some attitudes that really piss me off, and obviously lots of others as well, and I hope you can contain them.

My peace offering to you is my reassurance that I will try always to be as respectful of you as I would like you to be of me and of others here, and that I will come to your defense when I feel others are unjustly vilifying you. I know I'm asking more of you than I can offer in return, but I think that you'll find others to be as receptive of peace offerings and as willing to reciprocate them as I am.

Now can I come to your session?

--seed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Roger in Baltimore
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 08:32 PM

Gee, it must really be Christmas.

It pleases me to no end to see BSeed and Gargoyle making nice.

Good day and Happy Holidays to both of you.

Nothin' like a good song to bring folks together! And it surely is a good song.

"Look where and what has been done -- 1912, 12th day of May, when the Titanic sink in the sea. When they was getting on board (there) was not no colored folks on. There was not no Negroes died on that ship. But Jack Johnson went to get on board. 'We are not hauling no coal,' (they said). So Jack Johnson didn't like what the Big Boss said. He went and tried to do something about it, but it was so much Jim Crow he could not have no go. And a few hours later Jack Johnson read the papers where the Titanic went down. Then the peoples began to holler about that mighty shock. You might have seen Jack Johnson doing the Eagle Rock so glad that he was not on that ship." -- letter from Lead Belly to Moses Asch. From The Leadbelly Songbook, edited by Moses Asch and Alan Lomax, Oak Publications, 1962.

Roger in Baltimore

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 10:09 PM

Bloody Heck (it's Christmas, and I'm watchin' my language!) what a wonderful version of that song Huddie did! The 12 string guitar part thrills me today as much as it did when I was 15 and first heard it. Shortly after, I conned my Grandmother into financing a Stella 12 for me. Sadly it was of course one of the "Harmony Stellas" and not the real article...but when I learned that song (almost note for note) I felt I ruled the world! Interesting how Huddie in self-protection mode, changed lyrics, depending on who was listening. Certainly did it with Bourgeois Blues as well.
Rick

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: _gargoyle
Date: 18 Dec 99 - 10:20 PM

Upon occasion Mr. Seed, we do find ourselves singing from the same hymnal....

For this season, "a pax" is most welcome.

However, to believe that "we shall never again 'cross swords' or 'joust' in the future;" would throw me into such a melancholy state for the millennium that the church steeples would clang in discordance and the heavens would spin in reverse.

I too GROK (GRUk)(Grug)(Grook)(grape) you brother.

However,

Hell No!

a mouth organ, or banjo, or guitar, have no place in Slaughter on Fifth Avenue

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 19 Dec 99 - 12:50 AM

au contraire, Gargoyle, I think a well-played blues harmonica would sound great in Slaughter on Fifth Avenue (not that I play well enough for the opening OooooowaaAAA, buh doo duh wah wah wah wah-aaah (cue the piano----------) Ooooowah waaa-uh-wah wah ooo bah doo be doo wop. Sure sounds like a bluesharp riff to me.

--seed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: bseed(charleskratz)
Date: 19 Dec 99 - 01:20 AM

And I have this question nagging at my consciousness: Isn't it "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue"? --seed

Subject: Lyr Add: THE TITANIC (Leadbelly)
From: Roberto
Date: 07 May 04 - 11:56 AM

The Titanic, Leadbelly, Leadbelly's Last Sessions,1948 recordings, Smithsonian Folkways SF CD 40068/71 (disc 2)

THE TITANIC
(Leadbelly)

It was midnight on the sea
The band was playing Nearer My God to Thee
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well
It was midnight on the sea
The band was playing, Nearer My God to Thee
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well

Titanic, when it got its load
Captain he hollered - All aboard
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well
Titanic, when it got its load
Captain he hollered - All aboard
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well

Titanic was comin' 'round the curve
When it ran in that great big iceberg
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well
(He didn't see it)
Titanic was comin' 'round the curve
When it ran in that great big iceberg
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well

Titanic was sinking down
They had them lifeboats around
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well
When the Titanic was sinking down
They had them lifeboats around
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well

They had them lifeboats around
Savin' the women and children and lettin' the men go down
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well
They had them lifeboats around
Savin' the women and children and lettin' the men go down.
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well

Jack Johnson want to get on board
Captain he says - I ain't haulin' no coal
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well
Jack Johnson want to get on board
Captain he said - I ain't haulin' no coal
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well

(Jack Johnson so glad he didn't get on there)
When he heard about that mighty shock
Might 'a' seen the man done the Eagle Rock
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well
When he heard about that mighty shock
Might 'a' seen the man done the Eagle Rock
Fare thee, Titanic, fare thee well

---

Click to play

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 07 May 04 - 01:13 PM

Two Ledbetter versions in the DT and perhaps more in the Forum. Every performance was a revision; it's good to have this one too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: harpgirl
Date: 07 May 04 - 06:11 PM

if you are singing true to Leadbelly's version you would say
"save the women and the chil'ren, let the "MENS" go down, Roberto

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 08 May 04 - 02:39 AM

Hey, y'all--

This one's in the DT as "Titanic (7) at click. MMario has needed the tune for some time now--can somebody please send it to him?

Lin

---

Tune added today.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 08 May 04 - 04:13 AM

Threads about the "Titanic" always go down well!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Gypsyfree
Date: 08 May 04 - 09:05 AM

Georgiansilver....your sense of humour always gives me that "sinking" feeling.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 08 May 04 - 05:31 PM

How low can you get Gypsy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 09 May 04 - 01:33 PM

In the attribution thread, Joe noted that in the DT, Titanic 7 and Titanic 9 seemed to be the same.
Lin in Kansas noted that the version posted by Roberto was Titanic 7, however, Roberto's has repeats that are on the Smithsonian-Folkways disc.
Are these repeats on other versions sung by Ledbetter?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Leadbelly song about the Titanic
From: clueless don
Date: 10 May 04 - 11:44 AM

Don't have much to add, but I like this song a lot. I never heard a recording of Leadbelly doing it, but I heard it from John Miller. I also remember the extended talking blues style comedy monologue, based on this song, done by a singer named Jaime Brockett (sp?) He had had an AM radio hit with a song called "The Talking Green Beret New Super Yellow Hydraulic Banana Teeny Bopper Blues", but it was the Titanic monologue that people liked best. I heard (can't verify it) that for years afterwards he would get upset in concerts when people would request the monologue.

Don