Legend of the USS Titanic

Legend of the USS Titanic
Jaime Brockett Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴It was back around the turn of the centuries,
Back around nineteen hundred & thirteen,
There was a Negro pugilist his name was Jack Johnson.
Now old Jack Johnson
He was the toughest man in the whole wide world,
He used walk around whoppin' people up side the head
Makin' all sorts of money.
Like I say ol' Jack Johnson he was a pugilist,
He was a pugilist by preference and by profession
And one day ol' Jack came walkin' on down by the pier side.
He's just walkin on down.
His manager come walkin' on down by the pier side.

He says "uh, hi, Jack"
He says "hi manager"
He says "whatcha doin'?"
He says "I'm just walkin' on down by the pierside."
He says "what's up?"
He says "I gotta gig for ya"
He says "ya gotta gig for me?"
He says "that's right"
He says "where abouts?"
He says "over in England"
He says "hmm what'm I gonna do over there?"
He says "well you goin' up n' whop this
guy up side the head n' make all sorts of money."

Ol' Jack says "That's groovy baby.
That's really groovy you give me a ticket on the next flight out"
He said "ticket on the next flight out?!?
This is nineteen hundred n' thirteen.
Why the Wright brothers haven't even started
Foolin' around with Kitty Hawk yet"
He said "uhh who's she?"

It was midnight on the sea,
The band was playing "Nearer My God To Thee".
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.

Ol' Jack says "Well how'm I gonna get there baby?"
N' He says "ohhh I'm gonna show ya"
And he whips open a newspaper
N' shows him a picture of the USS Titanic.

Folks, she's the world's biggest ship,
She's made outta good wood,
And good iron they said she'd never go down.

He says "you mean I'm goin' over on the boat" n'
He says "that's right baby you're goin on the boat" n'
He says "well, let's go get some tickets,
So they head on down to the ticket taker's place."

He walks on up to the ticket taker, he walks on in
N' he says "hey man I wanna buy me some tickets"
He said "gotta red ticket, green ticket, yellow ticket,
Blue ticket, what kinda ticket you want?"
He says "I wanna red one"
He gave him some loot n' he laid it on him.

So here's ol' Jack he's got his ticket now,
He takes everything he owns.
He wraps it on up in a diaper n' he hangs it on a stick
Over his back n' goes headin' on down by the pierside.

He gettin' on down by the pierside,
His manager's down there by the pierside,
N' here she is folks - the USS Titanic!
She's lined up beside two hundred n' fifty parkin' meters,
N' the Captain's gettin' done ready to split
'Cause he run outta dimes.

Now around this time there was an Italian senator,
N' the state house n' all Italian senators done got brothers,
Own construction companies n' this one had a brother,
He owned a construction company,
N' the Titanic she was made outta good Italian wood,
Good Italian iron they said she'd never go down.

So there's ol' Jack standin' on the bottom,
Got everything he owns wrapped on up in that diaper
Hangin' on a stick over his back.
He shakes hands with his manager,
Goes walkin' on up the gangplank.
The Captain standin' on the top.
He get up onto the top n' the Captain he look at the ticket
He look at the ticket
He look at Jack,
He look at the ticket
He look at Jack,
He look at the ticket
He look at Jack,
He look at the ticket
He look at Jack,
Look it a
He says "sorry, baby, wrong color."
He says "me or the ticket?"
N' he says "you."

Now he wouldn't let Jack Johnson on board
They said this ship don't haul no coal
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.
It was midnight on the sea,
The band was playin' "Nearer My God To Thee"
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.

So Jack say's "It's all right baby,
It's all right, I'm gonna sit right here on the pier
And watch you go right on down."

So the Titanic she sails on out into the North Sea,
She's out there floatin' around in and out between the icebergs
N' ol' Jack's standin' on the pier.
I'm gonna tell ya 'bout the people on the Titanic now.

First of all, there's a whole bunch of Jewish people from Miami.
They're jumpin' up n' down
They're laughin'.
They're drinkin' booze.
They're tradin' wives
N' Cadillacs
N' diamonds
N' havin' all sorts of good clean party fun.

Then there was the people that run the boat.
Now the people that run the boat they know all about runnin' boats.
They know all about hoistin' up land lubbers
N' battenin' down hatches
N' doin' all sorts of other good things
Like all good sailors do in the far away sea.

Then there was the Captain.
Now the Captain he knows how to walk like a captain,
Write like a captain,
Walk like a captain,
Talk like a captain,
Smell like a captain,
Eat like a captain,
Do all sorts of captain things.

Then there was the first mate.
Now I gotta tell ya bout the first mate.
Now the first mate,
He don't know nothin' about Jewish parties.
He don't know nothing about hoistin' up land lubbers.
He don't know nothin' about captains.
He uh, he wants to go on over to England,
He wants to play his guitar.
He wanna run around n' chase women
N' have all sorts of good times.

Anyways this fella', his sideburns,
They're just a little too long.
He giving way, see. He? he been down in Mexico,
He been down in Mexico.
He been workin' in this rope factory down in Mexico now.
Down in Mexico they make rope outta
This funny little hemp plant that grows wild in the ground.
Some of you people grow it in flower pots under your bed?
Ehh Anyways, he's down there
And he's? he's makin' rope outta this funny marijuana plant
One day the rope factory she catch fire
N' he runs back on in to save his lunch.
He's got two sardine sandwiches,
Runnin' back on in to save his lunch.
He gets inside n' there's all this funny smoke
Floatin' around up inside n'..
He gets some of this funny smoke up inside his head
N' he sit down in the middle o' de' fire
N' he say, "shhhhhhhhhhhit baby,
I ain't gonna make rope no more!"

So he takes everything he owns,
He wraps it up on into a diaper and a knapsack too,
N' he? he headin' on to the Titanic,
He gets to the Titanic, he standin' on the bottom,
Walkin' on up the gang plank
N' the Captain's standin' on the top,
N' the Captain says "What you got boy?"
He says "I'm comin' on"
He says "What you got!"
He says "well I got me two changes of BVD's.
I got me my guitar.
I got me my address book,
A pair of socks,
Four Masked Marvel comic books,
A tennis racquet
And four hundred n' ninety-seven n' a half feet o' rope."
He says "four hundred n' ninety seven n' a half feet o' rope!
Whadaya got that for?"
He says "I just carry it."
So he says "it's all right.
Go on board, go on board" and he did.

It was midnight on the sea,
The band was playin' "Nearer My God To Thee"
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.
Now he wouldn't let Jack Johnson on board
They said this ship don't haul no coal
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.

That brings us up to what's happenin' now,
The Titanic she's floatin' around,
In and out between the icebergs,
The Jewish people they partyin',
They tradin' wives n' Cadillacs n' diamonds,
They drinkin' booze n' havin' all sorts of party fun,
Everybody else is hoistin' up land lubbers,
N' battenin' down hatches,
The First Mate he's hangin' over the rail,
He's havin' himself a little smoke
He's diggin' the icebergs.
Havin' himself a little smoke
N' it's the Captain's time to do his thing.
The Captain comes on out
(remember I told you about the captain,
He knows how to walk like captain,
Write like captain talk like
All sorts of captain things).
He comes on out n' he's standin' now.
His thing right now is that he's gotta go out n' test the wind.
So he casts his nose up into the north wind n' he goes

He walks on over to the First Mate.
He says "hey first mate what's that you smokin'?"
He says "that ain't nothin' but a little ol' cigarette captain"
N' he says "I don't believe it. Gimme a puff"
N' he says "alright."

So the captain takes himself a little puff.
Nothin' happened right away.
He says "it's alright, it's alright.
It's just a cigarette. I'm goin' for a walk"
And that's what he did, folks.
He went for a walk.
He went he went out walkin' around the boat,
He went walkin' toward the wheelhouse,
He he walked around.

He walked around the wheelhouse once
He walked around the wheelhouse twice
On the third time around the wheelhouse
The First Mate he looked on over at the Captain
N' he say You wanna 'nother toke, Captain?
And the Captain, he say right!!!!
So this time he's gonna tell the captain
A little bit about this smoke that he's smokin'.
He says "now the idea, Captain,
The idea is to get this smoke way down deep inside your tummy
N' hold it there just as long as you can
It'll make you head feel good all inside.
So the Captain says alright
He takes himself three big tokes
Off that funny little brown weed
N' He says "I am commencing to hold it in!"

He walked around the wheelhouse.
He went downstairs
He laid down.
He get up he ran in the other room.
He sent a radiogram.
He came on back in.
He took a shower.
He come out.
He shaved.
He laid down.
He got up again.
He turned on the television.
He turned off the radio.
He played a game of cribbage.
He read his masked marvel comic book.
He walked thru the kitchen,
Made a cup of tea,
Made a cup of coffee,
Sat down,
Ate a piece of pie,
Went upstairs,
Played another game of cribbage,
Went back in,
Finished his other masked marvel comic book,
Laid down,
He had the television, the radio, the egg beater,
The air conditioner n'everything's all goin' at once.
He walks up on deck
And this is fifty two minutes later
N' this cat ain't breathed yet!

So the First Mate see him standin' up there on the rail,
He's all puffed up like a balloon!
He says "ya gotta let it out, Captain!
So the Captain he let it all out at once.
Fallin' right down on the wheelhouse floor. He's out cold.

O-h-h-h, this just brings us up to what's happenin' again folks.
The Titanic she's sailin' around in between the icebergs.
Everybody else is havin parties.
The Jewish people they jumpin' up n' down,
They tradin' wives n' Cadillacs n' diamonds n' drinkin' booze.
Everybody else is hoistin' up land lubbers,
Battenin' down hatches n' doin' sail things.
The First Mate's hangin' over there on the rail
Havin' himself a little smoke n' diggin' icebergs.
And the Captain's out cold on the wheelhouse floor.

It was midnight on the sea,
The band was playin' "Nearer My God To Thee"
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.
Now he wouldn't let Jack Johnson on board
They said this ship don't haul no coal
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.

All of a sudden, the Captain's eyes popped wide open.
He stood right up straight
Grabs a hold o' de wheel
Looks on out at the bow o' dat boat
N' he say "I'm gonna move you baby!"

And he did right on into an iceberg n' she went right on down.

It was midnight on the sea,
The band was playin' "Nearer My God To Thee"
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.
Now he wouldn't let Jack Johnson on board
They said this ship don't haul no coal
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.

That's the true story of the Titanic, folks.
She went right to the bottom.
She took with her all the Jewish people, all the first mates.
She took with him the Captain.
She took with him the land lubbers.
She took with him the masked marvel comic books,
The tennis racquet,
And four hundred n' ninety-seven n' a half feet o' rope.

Meanwhile back on the stateside,
Ol' Jack Johnson? why he's standin' up on the pier,
He's fishin' away, he's got himself a little stick n' a line
N' he gets a tug he pulls it on up
N' it's a big wet blue soggy mess
N' on the inside on the lining written in big gold letters,
It says "USS Titanic" and stuck right above it was a wet roach.
That boy was so happy he started doin' the eagle rock
Up n' down that pier like it's goin' outta style he go
He gonna do the eagle rock now
Everybody in for the eagle rock. Oh rock!

It was midnight on the sea,
The band was playin' "Nearer My God To Thee"
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.
Now he wouldn't let Jack Johnson on board
They said this ship don't haul no coal
Fare thee well Titanic,
Fare thee well.

Fare thee well Titanic goin down!


Overall Meaning

The song “Legend of the U.S.S. Titanic” by Jaime Brockett tells a humorous and fictionalized story about Jack Johnson, a black boxer in 1913 who was denied passage on the Titanic. According to the song, Johnson's manager offers him a gig in England, so Johnson heads to the pier to board a ship. He is denied passage on several boats before his manager shows him a picture of the Titanic and offers him a ticket. However, when Johnson tried to board the Titanic, he was denied passage because the ship only carried wealthy passengers. Meanwhile, the Titanic hits an iceberg and sinks while Jewish people party on board, and the captain and first mate become incapacitated due to smoking marijuana.


The song is a satire on wealth and privilege and exaggerates many historical events and details for humorous effect. For example, the song portrays the Titanic as carrying parking meters, which did not exist until the 1930s. Additionally, the song portrays Jack Johnson as a contemporary of the Wright Brothers, when Johnson was actually a boxer from 1897 to 1928.


Line by Line Meaning

It was back around the turn of the centuries, Back around nineteen hundred & thirteen, There was a Negro pugilist his name was Jack Johnson.
During the early 1900s, there was a famous African American boxer named Jack Johnson.


Now old Jack Johnson He was the toughest man in the whole wide world, He used walk around whoppin' people up side the head Makin' all sorts of money.
Jack Johnson was known for his strength and abilities as a boxer, frequently knocking out his opponents and earning a significant amount of money.


Like I say ol' Jack Johnson he was a pugilist, He was a pugilist by preference and by profession And one day ol' Jack came walkin' on down by the pier side.
Jack Johnson's profession and personal preference was boxing, and one day he was walking near the pier.


He's just walkin on down. His manager come walkin' on down by the pier side.
While Jack Johnson was casually walking, his manager approached him near the pier.


He says "uh, hi, Jack" He says "hi manager" He says "whatcha doin'?" He says "I'm just walkin' on down by the pierside."
The manager greeted Jack and asked what he was doing, to which Jack replied that he was simply taking a stroll by the pier.


He says "what's up?" He says "I gotta gig for ya" He says "ya gotta gig for me?" He says "that's right" He says "where abouts?" He says "over in England" He says "hmm what'm I gonna do over there?" He says "well you goin' up n' whop this guy up side the head n' make all sorts of money."
The manager informed Jack about a job opportunity in England where he would have to fight someone and earn a significant amount of money.


Ol' Jack says "That's groovy baby. That's really groovy you give me a ticket on the next flight out" He said "ticket on the next flight out?!? This is nineteen hundred n' thirteen. Why the Wright brothers haven't even started Foolin' around with Kitty Hawk yet" He said "uhh who's she?"
Excited about the opportunity, Jack requested a ticket on the next available flight. However, his manager informed him that airplanes weren't invented yet, referencing the fact that the Wright brothers hadn't yet started experimenting with Kitty Hawk. Jack playfully asks who Kitty Hawk is while acknowledging the absence of air travel technology.


It was midnight on the sea, The band was playing "Nearer My God To Thee". Fare thee well Titanic, Fare thee well.
In the middle of the night, aboard the Titanic, the band plays the song "Nearer My God to Thee" as a farewell.


Ol' Jack says "Well how'm I gonna get there baby?" N' He says "ohhh I'm gonna show ya" And he whips open a newspaper N' shows him a picture of the USS Titanic.
Curious about how he would reach England, Jack's manager shows him a picture of the USS Titanic, a massive ship.


Folks, she's the world's biggest ship, She's made outta good wood, And good iron they said she'd never go down.
The USS Titanic is described as the largest ship ever built, constructed with high-quality materials that were believed to make it unsinkable.


He says "you mean I'm goin' over on the boat" n' He says "that's right baby you're goin on the boat" n' He says "well, let's go get some tickets, So they head on down to the ticket taker's place."
Realizing that he will be traveling on the Titanic, Jack plans to obtain tickets with his manager by visiting the ticket counter.


He walks on up to the ticket taker, he walks on in N' he says "hey man I wanna buy me some tickets" He said "gotta red ticket, green ticket, yellow ticket, Blue ticket, what kinda ticket you want?" He says "I wanna red one" He gave him some loot n' he laid it on him.
Approaching the ticket taker, Jack requests to purchase tickets and chooses a red one. He pays the price and receives the tickets.


So here's ol' Jack he's got his ticket now, He takes everything he owns. He wraps it on up in a diaper n' he hangs it on a stick Over his back n' goes headin' on down by the pierside.
With his ticket in hand, Jack gathers all his possessions, wraps them in a diaper, and carries them on a stick as he heads toward the pier.


He gettin' on down by the pierside, His manager's down there by the pierside, N' here she is folks - the USS Titanic! She's lined up beside two hundred n' fifty parkin' meters, N' the Captain's gettin' done ready to split 'Cause he run outta dimes.
Arriving at the pier, Jack's manager is also present. Suddenly, the massive USS Titanic comes into view, docked beside a row of parking meters. The captain, facing a shortage of change, prepares to disembark the ship.


Now around this time there was an Italian senator, N' the state house n' all Italian senators done got brothers, Own construction companies n' this one had a brother, He owned a construction company, N' the Titanic she was made outta good Italian wood, Good Italian iron they said she'd never go down.
During this period, an Italian senator who had a brother owning a construction company was involved. The Titanic was constructed using high-quality Italian wood and iron, leading people to believe that it was unsinkable.


So there's ol' Jack standin' on the bottom, Got everything he owns wrapped on up in that diaper Hangin' on a stick over his back. He shakes hands with his manager, Goes walkin' on up the gangplank. The Captain standin' on the top. He get up onto the top n' the Captain he look at the ticket He look at the ticket He look at Jack, He look at the ticket He look at Jack, He look at the ticket He look at Jack, He look at the ticket He look at Jack, Look it a He says "sorry, baby, wrong color." He says "me or the ticket?" N' he says "you."
With his belongings secured on his back, Jack meets his manager and proceeds to board the ship. However, as Jack reaches the top, the Captain inspects his ticket and realizes it's the wrong color. Apologetically, the Captain tells Jack that he cannot board the ship.


Now he wouldn't let Jack Johnson on board They said this ship don't haul no coal Fare thee well Titanic, Fare thee well.
Due to a specific policy, Jack Johnson is denied access to the ship because it doesn't transport coal. The Titanic bids farewell to Jack Johnson.


All of a sudden, the Captain's eyes popped wide open. He stood right up straight Grabs a hold o' de wheel Looks on out at the bow o' dat boat N' he say "I'm gonna move you baby!" And he did right on into an iceberg n' she went right on down.
Suddenly, the Captain's eyes open wide, and he makes a quick decision. He takes hold of the wheel and steers the ship directly into an iceberg, causing it to sink.


That's the true story of the Titanic, folks. She went right to the bottom. She took with her all the Jewish people, all the first mates. She took with him the Captain. She took with him the land lubbers. She took with him the masked marvel comic books, The tennis racquet, And four hundred n' ninety-seven n' a half feet o' rope.
This narrative recounts the fate of the Titanic, which sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Many passengers were lost, including Jewish people, the first mates, the captain, land lubbers, and even items like masked marvel comic books, a tennis racquet, and a significant amount of rope.


Meanwhile back on the stateside, Ol' Jack Johnson? why he's standin' up on the pier, He's fishin' away, he's got himself a little stick n' a line N' he gets a tug he pulls it on up N' it's a big wet blue soggy mess N' on the inside on the lining written in big gold letters, It says "USS Titanic" and stuck right above it was a wet roach. That boy was so happy he started doin' the eagle rock Up n' down that pier like it's goin' outta style he go He gonna do the eagle rock now Everybody in for the eagle rock. Oh rock!
While on the pier, Jack Johnson is fishing with a stick and line. He feels a tug and reels it in, discovering a soaked blue mess with the words "USS Titanic" written in gold letters on the lining and a wet roach sticking above it. Ecstatic, Jack celebrates by energetically dancing the eagle rock, encouraging others to join him.


All of a sudden, the Captain's eyes popped wide open. He stood right up straight Grabs a hold o' de wheel Looks on out at the bow o' dat boat N' he say "I'm gonna move you baby!" And he did right on into an iceberg n' she went right on down.
The Captain, unexpectedly awakening, takes control and steers the ship into an iceberg, leading to its demise.


That's the true story of the Titanic, folks. She went right to the bottom. She took with her all the Jewish people, all the first mates. She took with him the Captain. She took with him the land lubbers. She took with him the masked marvel comic books, The tennis racquet, And four hundred n' ninety-seven n' a half feet o' rope.
Again, the story emphasizes the tragic sinking of the Titanic, resulting in the loss of Jewish passengers, first mates, the captain, land lubbers, and various items like masked marvel comic books, a tennis racquet, and a large amount of rope.


Meanwhile back on the stateside, Ol' Jack Johnson? why he's standin' up on the pier, He's fishin' away, he's got himself a little stick n' a line N' he gets a tug he pulls it on up N' it's a big wet blue soggy mess N' on the inside on the lining written in big gold letters, It says "USS Titanic" and stuck right above it was a wet roach. That boy was so happy he started doin' the eagle rock Up n' down that pier like it's goin' outta style he go He gonna do the eagle rock now Everybody in for the eagle rock. Oh rock!
While standing on the pier, Jack Johnson fishes and pulls up a wet, soaked mess with the words "USS Titanic" inscribed on the lining, along with a moist roach above it. Overjoyed, he breaks into a lively dance known as the eagle rock, inviting others to join him.


All of a sudden, the Captain's eyes popped wide open. He stood right up straight Grabs a hold o' de wheel Looks on out at the bow o' dat boat N' he say "I'm gonna move you baby!" And he did right on into an iceberg n' she went right on down.
The Captain's sudden awakening prompts him to take action. Standing tall, he seizes the wheel, gazing at the ship's bow, and declares his intention to steer it. As a result, the ship collides with an iceberg, sinking into the sea.


That's the true story of the Titanic, folks. She went right to the bottom. She took with her all the Jewish people, all the first mates. She took with him the Captain. She took with him the land lubbers. She took with him the masked marvel comic books, The tennis racquet, And four hundred n' ninety-seven n' a half feet o' rope.
The story concludes by reiterating the tragic fate of the Titanic, which sank to the ocean floor while carrying Jewish passengers, first mates, the captain, land lubbers, various belongings like masked marvel comic books and a tennis racquet, as well as a significant length of rope.


Meanwhile back on the stateside, Ol' Jack Johnson? why he's standin' up on the pier, He's fishin' away, he's got himself a little stick n' a line N' he gets a tug he pulls it on up N' it's a big wet blue soggy mess N' on the inside on the lining written in big gold letters, It says "USS Titanic" and stuck right above it was a wet roach. That boy was so happy he started doin' the eagle rock Up n' down that pier like it's goin' outta style he go He gonna do the eagle rock now Everybody in for the eagle rock. Oh rock!
After the Titanic's tragic sinking, Jack Johnson continues fishing on the pier. He catches a wet, messy object with the words "USS Titanic" and a wet roach attached to it. Overwhelmed with joy, he celebrates by dancing the eagle rock, eliciting participation from those around him.


It was midnight on the sea, The band was playin' "Nearer My God To Thee" Fare thee well Titanic, Fare thee well.
Amidst the disaster, the band on the Titanic plays the hymn "Nearer My God to Thee." The ship bids farewell as it sinks into the midnight sea.


Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

ncG1vNJzZmirn6O2pLTIrapnm5%2BifLe1w56maIKRnrqmq6GrppyjlanBcJjEoJynnI%2Bks6DAx56WjouDlKGqwMCnoJw%3D