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Have you heard of the ship called the good Reuben James? Run by hard fighting men both of honor and of fame.
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She flew the Stars and Stripes of the land of the free, but tonight she's in her grave at the bottom of the sea.
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Chorus:
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Oh, tell me, what were their names, tell me, what were their names?
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Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James? (Repeat chorus)
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One hundred men went down to their dark and watery graves. 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 from the dark, icy water of that cold Iceland shore.
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(Chorus)
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It was there in the dark of that cold and watery night. 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. They lay the Reuben James on that cold ocean floor.
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(Chorus)
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Many years have passed since those brave men are gone. Those cold, icy waters, they're still and they're calm.
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Many years have passed and still I wonder why the worst of men must fight and the best of men must die!
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(Chorus)
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REUBEN JAMES
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| The Almanac Singers |
