The Sinking Of The Reuben James

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[Verse 1]
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Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
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Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and of fame
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She flew the Stars and Stripes for the land of the free
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But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea


[Chorus]
         C                              F               D
Tell me, what were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
C                              F               D
What were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James


[Verse 2]
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One hundred men went down to their dark and watery grave
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When that good ship was sunk only forty-four were saved
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T’was the last day of October when they saved the forty-four
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From those dark, icy waters by that cold Iceland shore


[Chorus]
         C                              F               D
Tell me, what were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
C                              F               D
What were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?


[Verse 3]
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It was there in the dark of that uncertain night
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That we watched for a U-boat and waited for a fight
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Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion roared
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And they laid the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor


[Chorus]
         C                              F               D
Tell me, what were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
C                              F               D
What were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James


[Interlude]
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[Verse 4]
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Many years have passed since those brave men are gone
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And those cold icy waters are still and are calm
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Many years have passed, but still I wonder why
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The worst of men must fight and the best of men must die


[Chorus]
         C                              F               D
Tell me, what were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
C                              F               D
What were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James


[Chorus]
C                              F               D
What were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James
C                              F               D
What were their names, tell me what were their names
    G                        C
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James