Have you heard of the ship, called the good Reuben James,
Run by hard fighting men, both of honor and fame,
She flew the stars and stripes for the land of the free,
But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.
CHORUS
Oh tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names;
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names;
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
One hundred men went down to their dark and watery graves,
When that good ship went down only forty-four were saved.
T'was the last of October, they save the forty-four,
From the dark, icy waters of that cold Iceland shore.
CHORUS
It was there in the dark, of that cold and water night,
They watched for the U-Boats, they waited for a fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion's roar,
They laid the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor.
CHORUS
Many years have passed since those brave men are gone,
Those cold, icy waters, they're still and they're calm;
Many years have passed and still I wonder why --
The worst of men must fight and the best of men must die.