Dance Band On The Titanic

Words and Music by Harry Chapin



D
Dance band on the Titanic

                      A
Sing nearer my God to Thee

     A7
The iceberg's on the starboard bow

G         A          D
Won't you dance with me?


E7
Mama stood crying at the dockside

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

        A7
I said "Momma, sweet momma, don't you worry none

     B7
Even God couldn't sink this ship."

          E7
Well the whistle blew and they turned the screws

And churned the water into foam

A7
Destination - Sweet salvation

   B7   C7         B7
Goodbye home sweet home


           E
I'm in the dance band on the Titanic

                         B7
Sing nearer my God to Thee

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

                         E - B
Won't you dance with me?


      E7
There was a trombone and a saxophone

The bass and drums were cookin' on the bandstand

           A7
And I was strummin' in the middle with this dude on a fiddle

            B7
And we were three days out from land

        E7
Now the foghorn's jammed and moaning

Hear it groaning through the misty night

             A7
I heard the lookout shout down "There's icebergs around

    B7     C7             B7
But still everything's alright."


        E
Aw the dance band on the Titanic

                       B7
Sing nearer my God to Thee

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

                     E - E5 - F#5 - G5 - Ab5
Won't you dance with me?


          A
They were burning all the flares for candles

In a banquet they were throwing in first class

    B                              G
And we were blowing waltzes in the ballroom

         B7                   B5 - C5 - C#5 - D5 - Eb5
When the universe went crash!

        E7
"There's no way that this could happen!"

                        Eb7  - D7 - C#7 - C7 - B7 - Bb7
I could hear the old captain curse

            A7
He ordered life boats away, that's when I heard the chaplin say

           B7                              E7
"Women and children and chaplins first!"


          E7
Well they soon used up all of the life boats

But there were a lot of us left on board

              A7
I heard the drummer saying, "Boys, just keep playing

          B7        C7           B7
Now we're doing this date for the Lord."


            E
I heard the dance band on the Titanic

                       B7
Sing nearer my God to Thee

The iceberg's on the starboard bow

                     E - E5 - F#5 - G5 - Ab5
Won't you dance with me?

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

He's the last remaining guest

        B                       G
He was tapping in a morse code frenzy

B7                             [Notes only] B (14 x's)
Tappin' "Please God, S.O.S."


 E7
Jesus Christ can walk on the water

Well a music-man will drown

              A
They say that Nero fiddled while Rome burned up

              B7               C7       B7
Well I'll be strummin' as the ship goes down


           E
I'm in the dance band on the Titanic

Sing nearer my God to Thee

B7
The iceberg's on the starboard bow

                      E
Won't you dance with me?

[repeat twice and fade]

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