The Longest Johns formed in June 2012 after first singing together at a friend's barbecue. The original line up consisted of Josh Bowker, Andy Yates, Jonathan Darley and Dave Robinson. About a week later, they posted their first video on YouTube, singing "Haul Away Joe." They released their debut EP, Bones in the Ocean, in 2013, the title track of which is still one of their most popular. Their first full album, Written in Salt, was released in 2016, featuring tracks such as Drunken Sailor, Old Maui and Randy Dandy-O.
In June 2018 they released their second album, Between Wind & Water, which contained the smash hit "Wellerman". This recording, as well as the one used in the bands' Sea of Thieves series "Open Crewsing" would go on to cause the viral sensation in the years to come.
In October 2019, the band announced that Anna Cornish would be leaving the band to focus on her other band, The Norfolk Broads.
In March 2020, they released a song titled "Flatten the Curve", urging people to stay indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In June 2020, the band released their third studio album, Cures What Ails Ya. This album was the Johns' first album featuring a full array of instruments on half of the songs.
In March 2023, The Longest Johns released a collab album, The Longest Pony, featuring collabs with the Barcelona folk group, El Pony Pisador. The album features the song "Al Pirata Joan Torrellas" which sung only in Catalan.
On 1 May 2023, the band announced the departure of founding member Dave Robinson.
Fire & Flame
The Longest Johns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of a French ammo ship, the Mont-Blanc was her name
How the brave Nova Scotia was never the same
On the morning when Halifax burned
'Twas in early December 1917
She was packed to the gills with Grade A T-N-T
They were bound for the fighting in High Germany
The Norweigan ship Imo, some fault in her gears
She struck Mont-Blanc's side like the mightiest of spears
And the benzol ignited the captain's worst fears
As the fire consumed bow to stern
The people gazed on from their safe distant rooms
Watched the soot and the smoke fill the sky with their plumes
But within, the ships cargo would spell all their dooms
How were they to know to be concerned?
The crew rowed for shore, lest they burn or they drown
They cried, "Save your souls!" as they ran through the town
But their warnings were nothing but strange foreign sounds
For the townsfolk, no French had they learned
One man, Patrick Coleman, in the railway's employ
Sent word, "Stop the trains or they'll all be destroyed
This will be my last message, farewell to you, boys"
For a true hero's death he had earned
An explosion, colossal, when the munitions blew
Devastation and debris for miles fired through
The Mont-Blanc was gone, and the town with it, too
And the waters raged up in return
There were heroes and angels all fated to die
Over two thousand souls laid to rest by-and-by
We will always remember and lift a glass high
To the morning when Halifax burned
The Longest Johns' song "Fire & Flame" tells a story of an infamous incident that occurred during World War I. It recounts the tragic tale of the Mont-Blanc, a French ammunition ship, which collided with a Norwegian ship, the Imo, in the Halifax Harbor, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Mont-Blanc was loaded with TNT and benzol, and the collision sparked a fire that eventually led to a catastrophic explosion. The song describes the bravery of the crew members who tried to warn the town of Halifax, but communication was lost in translation, and the townspeople weren't fully aware of the imminent danger, leading to over 2,000 deaths.
The song begins by invoking the notion of storytelling, as one of the band members introduces the tale he is about to sing. The opening line, "Let me sing you a song, boys, of fire and flame," sets the tone for the song's tragic content. The lyrics then paint the picture of the Mont-Blanc's perilous journey and how she came to be in Halifax Harbor. The narrative then details the collision, the fire, and the crew's desperate efforts to save themselves and others. The song's climax comes with the explosion, which is described as "colossal," and the devastation that followed.
The track serves as a tribute to the fallen in the Halifax Explosion, and the lyrics encourage listeners to "remember and lift a glass high" to commemorate the tragedy. Overall, "Fire & Flame" is a poignant and emotive folk song that tells a compelling story of courage, disaster, and tragedy.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me sing you a song, boys, of fire and flame
I want to share with you a story about a devastating event.
Of a French ammo ship, the Mont-Blanc was her name
The story begins with a ship named Mont-Blanc, which was carrying ammunition.
How the brave Nova Scotia was never the same
The incident had a tremendous impact on the city of Halifax in Nova Scotia.
On the morning when Halifax burned
The event occurred on a morning in Halifax, which resulted in a fire breaking out.
'Twas in early December 1917
The event took place in early December of 1917.
She was packed to the gills with Grade A T-N-T
The Mont-Blanc was carrying a lot of high-quality explosives.
They were bound for the fighting in High Germany
The ammunition was intended for use in the war.
When towards them the other ship turned
Another ship, Imo, turned towards the Mont-Blanc.
The Norweigan ship Imo, some fault in her gears
Imo had a mechanical issue that caused it to move towards Mont-Blanc.
She struck Mont-Blanc's side like the mightiest of spears
Imo collided with Mont-Blanc's side with great force.
And the benzol ignited the captain's worst fears
The collision caused benzol to ignite, which concerned the Mont-Blanc's captain.
As the fire consumed bow to stern
The fire on Mont-Blanc spread rapidly from the front to the back.
The people gazed on from their safe distant rooms
People watched the fire from a safe distance.
Watched the soot and the smoke fill the sky with their plumes
The smoke from the fire created a large, visible cloud in the sky.
But within, the ships cargo would spell all their dooms
Unfortunately, the ammunition stored on the Mont-Blanc would lead to a tragic end.
How were they to know to be concerned?
At the time, people were not aware of the danger posed by the ammunition on Mont-Blanc.
The crew rowed for shore, lest they burn or they drown
The Mont-Blanc's crew tried to escape by rowing to the shore.
They cried, "Save your souls!" as they ran through the town
The Mont-Blanc's crew warned people to save themselves as they ran through the town.
But their warnings were nothing but strange foreign sounds
Unfortunately, many people did not understand what the crew was saying due to language differences.
For the townsfolk, no French had they learned
The townsfolk were not familiar with the French language spoken by the Mont-Blanc's crew.
One man, Patrick Coleman, in the railway's employ
A man named Patrick Coleman worked for the railway company.
Sent word, "Stop the trains or they'll all be destroyed
Coleman sent a message warning that trains should be stopped to prevent damage.
This will be my last message, farewell to you, boys"
Unfortunately, this would be Coleman's final message before his death.
For a true hero's death he had earned
Coleman's actions were heroic and ultimately cost him his life.
An explosion, colossal, when the munitions blew
When the ammunition on Mont-Blanc detonated, it caused a massive explosion.
Devastation and debris for miles fired through
The explosion caused destruction and debris to be spread over a large area.
The Mont-Blanc was gone, and the town with it, too
The explosion destroyed Mont-Blanc and a significant portion of the town.
And the waters raged up in return
The explosion caused the water in the harbor to surge upwards.
There were heroes and angels all fated to die
Many people who died in the explosion were considered to be heroic or angelic.
Over two thousand souls laid to rest by-and-by
The explosion resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 people.
We will always remember and lift a glass high
The tragic event is still remembered and commemorated to this day.
To the morning when Halifax burned
The fire and explosion in Halifax remains a significant event in history.
Writer(s): Andrew Yates, David Robinson, Jonathan Darley, Robert Sattin
Contributed by Ruby D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@casscarter7374
Let me sing you a song, boys, of fire and flame
Of a French ammo ship, the Mont-Blanc was her name
How the brave Nova Scotia was never the same
On the morning when Halifax burned.
'Twas in early December, 1917
She was packed to the gills with grade A TNT
They were bound for the fighting in High Germany
When to-wards them the other ship turned.
The Norwegian ship Imo, some fault in her gears
She struck Mont-Blanc's side like the mightiest of spears
And the benzol ignited, the captain's worst fears
As the fire consumed bow to stern.
The people gazed on from their safe distant rooms
Watched the soot and the smoke fill the sky with their plumes
Though within, the ship's cargo would spell all their dooms
How were they to know to be concerned?
The crew rowed for shore, lest they burn or they drown
They cried "Save your souls!" as they ran through the town
But their warnings were nothing but strange foreign sounds
For the townsfolk, no French had they learned.
One man, Patrick Coleman, in the railway's employ
Sent word, "Stop the trains or they'll all be destroyed.
This will be my last message. Farewell to you boys."
For a true hero's death he had earned.
An explosion colossal, when the munitions blew
Devastation and debris for miles by and through
The Mont-Blanc was gone, and the town with it too
And the waters raged up in return.
There were heroes and angels, all fated to die
Over two thousand souls laid to rest by and by
We will always remember and lift a glass high
To the morning when Halifax burned.
@luckyphant0m0125
Lyrics:
Let me sing you a song, boys, of fire and flame
Of a French ammo ship, the Mont-Blanc was her name
How the brave Nova Scotia was never the same
On the morning when Halifax burned
'Twas in early December 1917
She was packed to the gills with Grade A T-N-T
They were bound for the fighting in High Germany
When towards them the other ship turned
The Norweigan ship Imo, some fault in her gears
She struck Mont-Blanc's side like the mightiest of spears
And the benzol ignited the captain's worst fears
As the fire consumed bow to stern
The people gazed on from their safe distant rooms
Watched the soot and the smoke fill the sky with their plumes
But within, the ships cargo would spell all their dooms
How were they to know to be concerned?
The crew rowed for shore, lest they burn or they drown
They cried, "Save your souls!" as they ran through the town
But their warnings were nothing but strange foreign sounds
For the townsfolk, no French had they learned
One man, Patrick Coleman, in the railway's employ
Sent word, "Stop the trains or they'll all be destroyed
This will be my last message, farewell to you, boys"
For a true hero's death he had earned
An explosion, colossal, when the munitions blew
Devastation and debris for miles fired through
The Mont-Blanc was gone, and the town with it, too
And the waters raged up in return
There were heroes and angels all fated to die
Over two thousand souls laid to rest by-and-by
We will always remember and lift a glass high
To the morning when Halifax burned
@ericgilbert1087
"Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbour making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye, boys." - Patrick "Vince" Coleman's last message.
@Meep55412
Makes my heart ache for him. Cheers mate
@jackmeyers7805
His God rest him. At least he knew he had done all he could.
@buckeyecook26
What a man, what a human
@pyanbredersen1235
A hero through and through
@yttriumb.c.o.9885
My highest respects
@thecrabmaestro564
Patrick Coleman saved approx 300 lives that day.
He seriously bloody earnt that hero's death, respect to the man.
@eaaarts
Wasn't his name Vincent Coleman tho?
@thecrabmaestro564
@@eaaarts I mean, I looked at the wiki page for the disaster a while ago but I cant remember if it said Patrick or Vincent, they're the same number of syllables so I dont see why they would decide to use a wrong name.
@cyqry
@@eaaarts I believe VIncent was the other man with him?
If I recall the story, two men sent word to a train that was supposed to be arriving within minutes. After doing so, the other man left to put as much distance from the explosion as he could, but Patrick chose to remain behind and send word further up the line to prevent anyone else from getting caught in the explosion.