THE SINKING OF THE REUBEN JAMES Lyrics And Chords
It's about the first US warship sunk in WW II after a German submarine attack. The ship was escorting an allied convoy although the USA were still neutral during this time. It went down under great loss of life and was one argument for America officially declaring war to Germany soon after. The guitar chords are by Marc Fahrbach. Written by Woddy Guthrie. For video-version use Capo on 3rd fret. The sheet music notes for Mandolin and tin whistle are included in the key of D Major. More American Folk Songs here with chords .
ntro: play one verse humming
(G)What were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
1. Have you (G)heard of a ship called the (D)good Reuben (G)James
Manned by hard fighting men both of (D)honor and of (G)fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes for the (C)land of the (G)free
But tonight she's in her grave at the (D)bottom of the (G)sea.
Chorus:
Tell me (G)what were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (D)James?
(G)what were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
2. It was (G)there in the dark of that (D)uncertain (G)night
That we watched for the U-boats and (D)waited for a (G)fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a (C)great explosion (G)roared
And they laid the Reuben James on that (D)cold ocean (G)floor.
Chorus
3. One (G)hundred men were drowned in that (D)dark watery (G)grave
When that good ship went down only (D)forty-four were (G)saved.
T’was the last day of October we (C)saved the forty-(G)four
From the cold icy waters off that (D)cold Iceland (G)shore.
Chorus
4. (G)Many years have passed since those (D)brave men are (G)gone,
And those cold icy waters now are (D)still and are (G)calm.
Many years have passed, but (C)still I wonder (G)why
The worst of men must fight and the (D)best of men must (G)die.
(G)What were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
1. Have you (G)heard of a ship called the (D)good Reuben (G)James
Manned by hard fighting men both of (D)honor and of (G)fame?
She flew the Stars and Stripes for the (C)land of the (G)free
But tonight she's in her grave at the (D)bottom of the (G)sea.
Chorus:
Tell me (G)what were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (D)James?
(G)what were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
2. It was (G)there in the dark of that (D)uncertain (G)night
That we watched for the U-boats and (D)waited for a (G)fight.
Then a whine and a rock and a (C)great explosion (G)roared
And they laid the Reuben James on that (D)cold ocean (G)floor.
Chorus
3. One (G)hundred men were drowned in that (D)dark watery (G)grave
When that good ship went down only (D)forty-four were (G)saved.
T’was the last day of October we (C)saved the forty-(G)four
From the cold icy waters off that (D)cold Iceland (G)shore.
Chorus
4. (G)Many years have passed since those (D)brave men are (G)gone,
And those cold icy waters now are (D)still and are (G)calm.
Many years have passed, but (C)still I wonder (G)why
The worst of men must fight and the (D)best of men must (G)die.
“The Sinking of the Reuben James” (Woody Guthrie) is a maritime folk song that works beautifully with a simple, rolling rhythm and alternating bass fingerpicking.
Let’s build a performance arrangement in G Major with full strumming pattern + fingerpicking tab.
🎵 The Sinking of the Reuben James
Key: G Major
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: ~92 BPM (steady folk ballad)
Style: Traditional American folk
🎸 STRUMMING PATTERN
Use this for choruses or when you want to lift the energy.
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
(count: 1 2 & & 4 &)
Keep it steady — accent beats 1 and 4, and let the melody carry the story.
Or use a folk shuffle for verses:
↓ bass ↓ up ↓ up
🎵 Think: boom–chicka–boom–chicka
🎸 FINGERPICKING PATTERN (for verses)
Classic Travis picking:
T – I – M – T – I – M
(count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4)
T (thumb): plays bass note (6th, 5th, or 4th string depending on chord)
I (index): G string
M (middle): B string
R (ring): optional high E string touch
🪶 FINGERPICKING TAB — FULL VERSE & CHORUS
Intro (optional 2 bars)
G C G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Verse 1
(“Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James…”)
G D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
G D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and of fame
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
She flew the Stars and Stripes for the land of the free
G D G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
But tonight she’s in her grave at the bottom of the sea
Chorus
(“Tell me what were their names…”)
Use light strumming or alternate bass pick + brush.
Pattern: ↓ bass ↓ up ↓ up
(G)What were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
(G)What were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
Chorus (Fingerpicked version)
G C Am D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
G C G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------0---0-------0---0---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
🎧 PERFORMANCE TIPS
Verses: soft, rolling fingerpicking (steady tempo).
Chorus: open up with strumming or fuller Travis picking.
Emphasize the storytelling — slight pause before each “Tell me what were their names.”
On the last G, let it ring with a soft hammer-on (0h2 on the A string) for a wistful close.
Let’s build a performance arrangement in G Major with full strumming pattern + fingerpicking tab.
🎵 The Sinking of the Reuben James
Key: G Major
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: ~92 BPM (steady folk ballad)
Style: Traditional American folk
🎸 STRUMMING PATTERN
Use this for choruses or when you want to lift the energy.
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
(count: 1 2 & & 4 &)
Keep it steady — accent beats 1 and 4, and let the melody carry the story.
Or use a folk shuffle for verses:
↓ bass ↓ up ↓ up
🎵 Think: boom–chicka–boom–chicka
🎸 FINGERPICKING PATTERN (for verses)
Classic Travis picking:
T – I – M – T – I – M
(count: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4)
T (thumb): plays bass note (6th, 5th, or 4th string depending on chord)
I (index): G string
M (middle): B string
R (ring): optional high E string touch
🪶 FINGERPICKING TAB — FULL VERSE & CHORUS
Intro (optional 2 bars)
G C G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Verse 1
(“Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James…”)
G D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James
G D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Manned by hard fighting men both of honor and of fame
G C
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------2-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
She flew the Stars and Stripes for the land of the free
G D G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------2-----------2-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------3---3-------3---3---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
But tonight she’s in her grave at the bottom of the sea
Chorus
(“Tell me what were their names…”)
Use light strumming or alternate bass pick + brush.
Pattern: ↓ bass ↓ up ↓ up
(G)What were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
(G)What were their names, tell me (C)what were their (Am)names,
Did (D)you have a friend on the (C)good Reuben (G)James?
Chorus (Fingerpicked version)
G C Am D
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------1---1-------1---1---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----2-------2---2-------2-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--2-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--0-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--------------------------------|
Tell me what were their names, tell me what were their names,
G C G
e|--------3-----------3-----------|--------0-----------0-----------|
B|------0---0-------0---0---------|------0---0-------0---0---------|
G|----0-------0---0-------0-------|----0-------0---0-------0-------|
D|--0-----------0-----------------|--0-----------0-----------------|
A|--2------------------------------|--2-----------------------------|
E|--3------------------------------|--3-----------------------------|
Did you have a friend on the good Reuben James?
🎧 PERFORMANCE TIPS
Verses: soft, rolling fingerpicking (steady tempo).
Chorus: open up with strumming or fuller Travis picking.
Emphasize the storytelling — slight pause before each “Tell me what were their names.”
On the last G, let it ring with a soft hammer-on (0h2 on the A string) for a wistful close.
Sinking Of The Reuben James Tin Whistle Sheet Music Notes
