Harry Chapin Dance Band On The Titanic Lyrics

Dance Band On The Titanic Lyrics

Dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me



Mama stood cryin' at the dockside

Sayin' "Please son, don't take this trip"

I said "Mama, sweet Mama, don't you worry none"

"Even God couldn't sink this ship"



Well, the whistle blew and they turned the screws

It turned the water into foam

Destination sweet salvation

Goodbye home sweet home



I'm in the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me



There was a trombone and a saxophone

The bass and drums were cookin' up the bandstand

And I was strummin' in the middle with this dude on the fiddle

And we were three days out from land



And now the foghorn's jammed and moanin'

Hear it groanin' through the misty night

I heard the lookout shout down "There's icebergs around"

"But still everything's all right"



Oh, the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me



They were burnin' all the flares for candles

In the banquet they were throwin' in first class

And we were blowin' waltzes in the barroom

When the universe went CRASH!



"There's no way that this could happen"

I could hear the old captain curse

He ordered lifeboats away, that's when I heard the chaplain say

"Women and children and chaplains first"



Well, they soon used up all of the lifeboats

But there were a lot of us left on board

I heard the drummer sayin' "Boys, just keep playin'"

"Now we're doin' this gig for the Lord"



I heard the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me



There's a wild-eyed boy in the radio shack

He's the last remaining guest

He was tappin' in a Morse code frenzy

Tappin' "Please God, S.O.S."



Jesus Christ can walk on the water

But a music man will drown

They say that Nero fiddled while Rome burned up

Well, I was strummin' as the ship go down



I'm in the dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me



Dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me



Dance band on the Titanic

Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

Won't you dance with me