still don't know what the confusion is about, there was indeed a great flood of molasses in 1919 in Boston, 2.5 million gallons, destined for rum distillery, when the tank burst, it was a tidal wave. The song lyric refers to the First World War in a folksy way, but just for a rhyme, not for history, it is definiteyl about the same event. Don't know if Stan/Abby want a song supposedly written closer to the event, around 1919? Haven't heard of one.