Have you heard of a ship
called the good Reuben Jane?
Manned by hard -fighting men
both of honor and fame
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
Tell me, were their names?
Tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on the good Reuben James?
What were their names?
Tell me what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on the good Reuben James?
One hundred men were drowned
in that dark, watery grave.
When that good ship went down,
only forty -four were saved.
It was the last day of October,
we saved the 44 from the cold icy waters
off that cold Iceland shore.
Tell me, what were their names?
Tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on the good Reuben James?
What were their names?
Tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on the good Reuben James?
It was there in the dark
of that uncertain night
That we watched for the U -boats
and waited for a fight
Then a whine and a rock
and a great explosion roared
And they laid the Reuben James
on that cold ocean floor
Tell me what were their names,
tell me what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on the good Ruben James?
What were their names,
tell me what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on the good Ruben James?
Now tonight there are lights
in our country so bright
In the farms and in the cities
they're telling of the fight
And now our mighty battleships
will steam the bounding main
And remember the name
of that good Reuben James
Tell me, were their names?
Tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on good Reuben James?
What were their names?
Tell me, what were their names?
Did you have a friend
on the good Reuben Jane?