Reuben James

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[Verse]
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Have you heard of the ship called the good Reuben James?
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Run by hard fighting men both of honour and of fame
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She flew the stars and stripes of the land of the free
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But tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea

[Chorus]
B
Oh, tell me, what were their names?
         E
Tell me, what were their names?
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Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
B
Tell me, what were their names?
         E               C#m
Tell me, what were their names?
    F#                       B
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?

[Verse]
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One hundred men went down to their dark and watery graves
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When that good ship went down, only forty-four were saved
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'Twas the last day of October, they saved forty-four
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From the dark icy water of that cold Iceland shore

Continues after the ad
[Chorus]
B
Oh, tell me, what were their names?
         E
Tell me, what were their names?
    F#                       B
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
B
Tell me, what were their names?
         E               C#m
Tell me, what were their names?
    F#                       B
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?

[Verse]
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It was there in the dark of that cold and watery night
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They watched for the U-boats and they waited for a fight
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Then a whine and a rock and a great explosion's roar
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They lay the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor

[Chorus]
B
Oh, tell me, what were their names?
         E
Tell me, what were their names?
    F#                       B
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
B
Tell me, what were their names?
         E               C#m
Tell me, what were their names?
    F#                       B
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?

[Instrumental]
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[Verse]
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Many years have passed since those brave men are gone
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Those cold, icy waters, they're still and they're calm
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Many years have passed and still I wonder why
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The worst of men must fight and the best of men must die

[Chorus]
B
Oh, tell me, what were their names?
         E
Tell me, what were their names?
    F#                       B
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
B
Tell me, what were their names?
         E               C#m
Tell me, what were their names?
    F#                       B
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?