The Titanic
Paddy Goes to Holyhead Lyrics


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On the eleventh of April 1912
The queen of the ocean had started her life
With thirteen thousand passengers she sailed out from cork
Lead by nine hundred sailors on her way to new york

Uh, uh, uh, riddle of the century
Uh, uh, uh, pride of the white-star-line
Uh, uh, uh ye became a wet reliquary
Uh, uh, uh, a victim of the brine

On the fourteenth of April at 11.40 pm
An outlook guy named Freddy Fleet the alarm bell he did ring
Captain Smith he gave the order: "half steam ahead!" he cried
As the steamer got a narrow shave from a giant in the night

Uh, uh, uh, riddle of the century
Uh, uh, uh, pride of the white-star-line
Uh, uh, uh ye became a wet reliquary
Uh, uh, uh, a victim of the brine

Oh well the water filled the liner
And the death-struggle takes three hours
The operator's working hard an emergency he morsed
"California can't you hear me, and is your wireless working there?"
Wallace Hartley and his rag-time-band played a tune called Derry Air

Uh, uh, uh, riddle of the century
Uh, uh, uh, pride of the white-star-line
Uh, uh, uh ye became a wet reliquary
Uh, uh, uh, a victim of the brine

On the fifteenth of April 1912
The queen of the ocean had ended her life
Eighteen lifeboats were in store seven hundred for to save
But fifteen hundred passengers rest in their icy grave

Uh, uh, uh, riddle of the century
Uh, uh, uh, pride of the white-star-line




Uh, uh, uh ye became a wet reliquary
Uh, uh, uh, a victim of the brine

Overall Meaning

The song "Titanic" by Paddy Goes to Holyhead recounts the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic, one of the deadliest maritime disasters in history. The song begins with a description of the ship's departure from Cork on April 11, 1912, with thousands of passengers and nine hundred sailors on board. The chorus laments the ship's fate as a victim of the ocean, with the lines "ye became a wet reliquary, a victim of the brine."


The second verse describes the events leading up to the ship's collision with an iceberg on April 14, 1912. An outlook guy named Freddy Fleet rang the alarm bell when he spotted the iceberg, and Captain Smith ordered the ship to slow down. However, the ship still hit the iceberg, and the water began to fill the liner. The third verse recounts the desperate attempts to call for help via the wireless operator, and the final verse mourns the loss of over 1,500 passengers who did not survive, even though there were 18 lifeboats available to carry passengers to safety, but not enough for all on board.


The song serves as a haunting tribute to those who lost their lives aboard the Titanic, and its lyrics are a reminder of the devastating toll that such accidents can take.


Line by Line Meaning

On the eleventh of April 1912
The Titanic's journey began on April 11, 1912.


The queen of the ocean had started her life
The Titanic was considered the largest and most luxurious ship of its time.


With thirteen thousand passengers she sailed out from cork
The Titanic embarked on its journey from Cork, Ireland with a total of 13,000 passengers.


Lead by nine hundred sailors on her way to new york
The Titanic was operated by a crew of 900 sailors and was on its way to New York.


Uh, uh, uh, riddle of the century
The Titanic sinking became a mystery and a question for decades.


Uh, uh, uh, pride of the white-star-line
The Titanic was considered the pride of the White Star Line company.


Uh, uh, uh ye became a wet reliquary
The Titanic became a grave for its passengers, now lying underwater.


Uh, uh, uh, a victim of the brine
The Titanic was a victim of the ocean's harsh conditions and rough sea.


On the fourteenth of April at 11.40 pm
The Titanic hit an iceberg and started sinking at 11:40 pm on April 14, 1912.


An outlook guy named Freddy Fleet the alarm bell he did ring
A lookout named Frederick Fleet first raised the alarm after spotting the iceberg.


Captain Smith he gave the order: "half steam ahead!" he cried
Captain Smith ordered the Titanic to reduce its speed as a precautionary measure.


As the steamer got a narrow shave from a giant in the night
The Titanic narrowly missed hitting an enormous iceberg which could have caused even greater damage.


Oh well the water filled the liner
As the Titanic sank, water flooded the ship.


And the death-struggle takes three hours
The Titanic sank over the course of three hours, with passengers fighting for their lives.


The operator's working hard an emergency he morsed
The wireless operator on board the Titanic tried to send out a distress signal to other ships in the area.


"California can't you hear me, and is your wireless working there?"
The operator tried to contact another ship, the California, to ask if they could hear him and if their wireless system was working.


Wallace Hartley and his rag-time-band played a tune called Derry Air
The ship's band, led by Wallace Hartley, played a final tune called Derry Air as the ship sank and passengers tried to evacuate.


On the fifteenth of April 1912
The Titanic sinking ended on April 15, 1912.


The queen of the ocean had ended her life
The Titanic, once considered the queen of the ocean, had now sunk to the bottom of the sea.


Eighteen lifeboats were in store seven hundred for to save
The Titanic had only enough lifeboats for 700 people, despite carrying over 2,000 passengers and crew.


But fifteen hundred passengers rest in their icy grave
Unfortunately, over 1,500 passengers lost their lives in the sinking of the Titanic and were left in the icy waters to rest forever.




Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

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Comments from YouTube:

@esbherrmi8741

Wie sehr habe ich diesen Song damals im Walkman geliebt. Ihn nach über 20Jahren wieder zu hören, wo all die Kassetten nicht mehr funktionieren, ist so schön. 😍🥰😍 Und später dann ins Kino zu rennen, mit dem Song im Kopf....
Wenn einer wissen will, was war damals, braucht er nur diese Lied hören, und dabei ist den Tönen jeder Respekt unf Erfutcht für die Eisigen opfer. ❤‍🩹

@Kwonghun

Unser Lehrer hat das heut mit uns gesungen und ich fands schon schön als er uns das vorgespielt hat WUNDERSCHÖN!

@ElMariachi2004

Long time ago the band I played in opened for them in Darmstadt. Will never forget it. They are always in my heart. I grew up with their songs and I will always love them! :) Vor langer Zeit hat die Band, in der ich damals Bass spielte, bei der Eröffnung einer neuen Straßenbahn-Linie vor ihnen gespielt in Darmstadt. Hab sie auch ein paar mal live gesehen. Die Helden meiner Jugend, werde sie nie vergessen!

@carsonrichards9902

Listening to this song knowing the history of what happened you feel a wave of emotions when the song begins your happy and interested but then the song goes on and the detail of the death of the Titanic and the 1500 souls you feel a wave of grief and sadness. This is probably the only Titanic song that can do that. thank you paddy for an amazing song

@joschamorgenthaler4714

so schön...
Und endlich hab ichs auf You Tube gefunden.

@Oomicoo

Schöner Song, die Stimme vom Sänger gefällt mir auch sehr gut!

@marxanna9293

Das ist das einzige Lied über die Titanic, welches ich kenne, dass auch sich auch wirklich auf historische Tatsachen stützt. Zumindestens das was ich versteh.

@christineauboin3568

Beautiful song...

@Alektoiah

das lied ist so wunderschön :-) vielen dank für's hochladen :-)

@Dominik1998201

Eins der Besten Lieder die ich kenne auch von den Pfadfindern...Leider wird das "Horst" liederbuch nicht mehr hergestellt Und WOOW keine dislikes

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