Titanic
Harry Lyrics


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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

Overall Meaning

β€œDance Band on the Titanic” is a song by American singer-songwriter Harry Chapin from his studio album β€œDance Band on the Titanic” released in 1977. The song is an allegory on the Titanic disaster of 1912. He uses it as a metaphor for the state of the world by the mid-1970s where the planet was on a course to destruction that people were ignoring or denying. This song, which is one of Chapin’s most powerful, was executed in his characteristic style of storytelling.


The song starts by describing the band on the Titanic, which played "Nearer, my God, to Thee" as the ship was sinking. Despite the devastating circumstances, the band continued playing, and people continued to dance. Even though the iceberg was quite evident, nobody seemed to bother, which reflects people being stubborn to see the dangers that are so apparent. The next verse describes the moment on the ship, and the singer talks about his mother's concern for him going on this doomed journey. He dismisses her concern, saying that the Titanic is unsinkable, and even God cannot sink the ship. This reflects the arrogance of society to believe our progress had become unconquerable that it couldn't have been halted.


As the song progresses, we get a picture of the band playing and people dancing even as the threat of the iceberg became more noticeable to them. Chapin describes the orchestra's music, which is incredibly lively and contrasts with the reality that the ship is sinking. The song ends with the chapel encouraging women and children to be saved first, and the band continues to play music till the last moment as they drown with the rest of the passengers. This song's powerful message reminds us that it's all right to enjoy the momentary pleasures of life, but we mustn't forget what's happening around us and cause our downfall.


Line by Line Meaning

Dance band on the Titanic
A reference to the band playing music on deck of the Titanic


Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"
The band plays a hymn as the Titanic sinks


The iceberg's on the starboard bow
The ship has hit an iceberg on the right side


Won't you dance with me
Despite the chaos on the ship, the artist asks someone to dance with him


Mama stood cryin' at the dockside
The artist's mother is emotional about his departure on the Titanic


Sayin' "Please son, don't take this trip"
The singer's mother is worried about his safety on the Titanic


I said "Mama, sweet Mama, don't you worry none"
The singer reassures his mother that he'll be safe on the Titanic


"Even God couldn't sink this ship"
The artist believes that the Titanic is unsinkable


Well, the whistle blew and they turned the screws
The Titanic departs from port


It turned the water into foam
The ship creates waves as it moves through the water


Destination sweet salvation
The Titanic is headed for New York City


Goodbye home sweet home
The artist is leaving his home to travel on the Titanic


There was a trombone and a saxophone
The band consists of various instruments


The bass and drums were cookin' up the bandstand
The band is playing lively music


And I was strummin' in the middle with this dude on the fiddle
The singer is playing guitar while another band member plays the fiddle


And we were three days out from land
The Titanic has been at sea for three days


And now the foghorn's jammed and moanin'
The ship's horn is broken and making an unsettling sound


Hear it groanin' through the misty night
The singer hears the broken horn while it's dark outside


I heard the lookout shout down "There's icebergs around"
The lookout warns the crew that there are multiple icebergs in the area


"But still everything's all right"
The crew doesn't seem worried despite the danger around them


They were burnin' all the flares for candles
The crew is using emergency flares as a source of light


In the banquet they were throwin' in first class
First-class passengers are having a party despite the ship hitting an iceberg


And we were blowin' waltzes in the barroom
The band continues to play music for passengers


When the universe went CRASH!
The Titanic hits the iceberg


"There's no way that this could happen"
The captain is in disbelief that the Titanic has hit an iceberg


I could hear the old captain curse
The singer hears the captain swear


He ordered lifeboats away, that's when I heard the chaplain say
The chaplain is telling people to prioritize women and children when boarding lifeboats


"Women and children and chaplains first"
The chaplain is prioritizing groups of people to board lifeboats


Well, they soon used up all of the lifeboats
The available lifeboats have all been taken by people escaping the Titanic


But there were a lot of us left on board
There are still many people who have not been able to escape the sinking ship


The drummer sayin' "Boys, just keep playin'"
The drummer encourages the band to keep playing music as the ship sinks


"Now we're doin' this gig for the Lord"
The band members are playing music as a final act of worship before they may perish in the sinking ship


There's a wild-eyed boy in the radio shack
A frantic young man is in the ship's radio room


He's the last remaining guest
He may be the only survivor left on the ship


He was tappin' in a Morse code frenzy
The young man is trying to send out an S.O.S. message in Morse code


Tappin' "Please God, S.O.S."
The young man is asking for divine help in sending an emergency message


Jesus Christ can walk on the water
A reference to the power of God's son in the Christian religion


But a music man will drown
The singer, who plays in the band, may not survive due to his music duties


They say that Nero fiddled while Rome burned up
Nero was said to have played a lyre while Rome was on fire


Well, I was strummin' as the ship go down
The artist is playing music as the Titanic sinks


Dance band on the Titanic
A reference to the band playing music as the ship is sinking


Sing "Nearer, my God, to Thee"
The band plays a hymn as the Titanic sinks


The iceberg's on the starboard bow
The ship has hit an iceberg on the right side


Won't you dance with me
Despite the chaos on the ship, the artist asks someone to dance with him




Lyrics Β© Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARRY F. CHAPIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@stuartsmith5561

Harry Enfield Titanic is most funniest episode ever. πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§

Here's are my favourite part of episode.
00:32, 01:20, 01:50, 02:43, 02:58, 03:31, 03:40, 03:53, 04:19, 07:00 (Post Credits)

What an good old British sitcom from 1990s

@lucyhogan7686

Titanic asks to be made fun of. I just love the only me charactet espiecially the end.

@steveperry8431

Harry Enfield titanic is funny

@eleanorhogan8643

And the best.

@stephenc8

Is that the severed garden by the doors he's playing at the end on the violin

@martinluscombe1346

Utta madness

@Thinladiun

Is that Jessica Stephenson ?

@robwaters995

Your so frigid, your dumped, I just need my space, yeah

@kazeemkhan8250

This ain't the full ,they cut the funny part out πŸ€”πŸ€”πŸ€”

@kazeemkhan8250

It was the full titanic version

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