Lyrics: Harry Chapin. Dance Band on the Titanic.

Dance band on the titanic
Sing "Nearer, my God, to thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?

Mama stood cryin' at the dockside
Sayin' "Please son, don't take this trip"
I said "Mama, sweet mama, don't you worry none
Even God couldn't sink this ship"

Well, the whistle blew and they turned the screws
It turned the water into foam
Destination sweet salvation
Goodbye home sweet home

I'm in the dance band on the titanic
Sing "Nearer, my God, to thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?

There was a trombone and a saxophone
The bass and drums were cookin' up the bandstand
And I was strummin' in the middle with this dude on the fiddle
And we were three days out from land

And now the foghorn's jammed and moanin'
Hear it groanin' through the misty night
I heard the lookout shout down
"There's icebergs around but still everything's all right"

Oh, the dance band on the titanic
Sing "Nearer, my God, to thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?

They were burnin' all the flares for candles
In the banquet they were throwin' in first class
And we were blowin' waltzes in the barroom
When the universe went crash

"There's no way that this could happen"
I could hear the old captain curse
He ordered lifeboats away, that's when I heard the chaplain say
"Women and children and chaplains first"

Well, they soon used up all of the lifeboats
But there were a lot of us left on board
I heard the drummer sayin'
"Boys, just keep playin', now we're doin' this gig for the Lord"

I heard the dance band on the titanic
Sing "Nearer, my God, to thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?

There's a wild-eyed boy in the radio shack
He's the last remaining guest
He was tappin' in a morse code frenzy
Tappin', "Please God, SOS"

Jesus Christ can walk on the water
Where a music man will drown
They say that Nero fiddled while Rome burned up
Well, I was strummin' as the ship go down

I'm in the dance band on the titanic
Sing, "Nearer, my God, to thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?

Dance band on the titanic
Sing, "Nearer, my God, to thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?

Dance band on the titanic
Sing, "Nearer, my God, to thee"
The iceberg's on the starboard bow
Won't you dance with me?