Sink the Bismarck!

 Odd bits from the memory vault:

The Bismarck was one of a pair of fast German warships that sailed in WWII, launched in 1939, and a fierce killing machine. Not to spoil it, but it eventually got sunk.

In 1960, there was a movie made, and the singer and songwriter Johnny Horton and Tillman Francis, respectively, wrote a long, somewhat turgid, song about the vessel. 

A country song about a German battleship. That’s one you don’t hear every day.

Sink the Bismarck

Johnny Horton, Tillman Franks, 1960

In May of nineteen forty-one the war had just begun

The Germans had the biggest ship, they had the biggest guns

The Bismarck was the fastest ship that ever sailed the sea

On her deck were guns as big as steers and shells as big as trees

Out of the cold and foggy night came the British ship, the Hood

And every British seaman, he knew and understood

They had to sink the Bismarck, the terror of the sea

Stop those guns as big as steers and those shells as big as trees

We'll find the German battleship that's makin' such a fuss

We gotta sink the Bismarck cause the world depends on us

Hit the decks a-runnin' boys and spin those guns around

When we find the Bismarck we gotta cut her down

The Hood found the Bismarck on that fatal day

The Bismarck started firin' fifteen miles away

"We gotta sink the Bismarck" was the battle sound

But when the smoke had cleared away, the mighty Hood went down

For six long days and weary nights they tried to find her trail

Churchill told the people "put every ship a-sail

'Cause somewhere on that ocean I know she's gotta be

We gotta sink the Bismarck to the bottom of the sea"

We'll find that German battleship that's makin' such a fuss

We gotta sink the Bismarck 'cause the world depends on us

Hit the decks a-runnin' boys and spin those guns around

When we find the Bismarck we gotta cut her down

The fog was gone the seventh day and they saw the mornin' sun

Ten hours away from homeland the Bismarck made its run

The admiral of the British fleet said "turn those bows around

We found that German battleship and we're gonna cut her down"

The British guns were aimed and the shells were comin' fast

The first shell hit the Bismarck, they knew she couldn't last

That mighty German battleship is just a memory

"Sink the Bismarck" was the battle cry that shook the seven seas

We found that German battleship been makin' such a fuss

We had to sink the Bismarck 'cause the world depends on us

We hit the deck a-runnin' and we spun those guns around

Yeah, we found the mighty Bismarck and prepared to cut her down

We found that German battleship been makin' such a fuss

We had to sink the Bismarck 'cause the world depends on us

We hit the deck a-runnin' and we spun those guns around

We found the mighty Bismarck and then we cut her down

Not to be outdone, the satirical duo Homer and Jethro, wrote a respone: 

 We didn’t sink the Bismarck

• Artist: Homer and Jethro

We didn’t sink the Bismarck

Way back in nineteen-forty-two or maybe forty-three,

I sailed with Captain Tuna, the chicken of the sea.

We didn't sink the Bismarck, no matter what they say,

For when we seen the German ships, we sailed the other way.

We seen torpedos comin' and we saw a periscope.

We were full of fightin' spirit and our souls were full o' hope.

The captain yelled, "Now hear this!" He really flipped his lid.

We haven't yet begun to fight. What's more, we never did.

 

Oh, we didn't sink the Bismarck and we didn't fight at all.

We spent our time in Norfolk and we really had a ball,

Chasin' after women while our ship was overhauled,

A-livin' it up on grapefruit juice and sickbay alcohol.

 

Then they made me a frogman on the demolition team.

I sunk a battleship, a cruiser, and a submarine.

I blew up ammunition dumps. I did my best to please.

I did it all before the Navy sent me overseas.

 

Tony, our Italian cook, was a-settin' on the deck,

And we were a-peelin' 'taters. We must 'a' peeled a peck.

The captain yelled, "Hey, Tony! Is that a U-boat I see?"

Tony says, "It's not-a my boat; it's-a no belong to me."

 

Oh, we didn't sink the Bismarck and we didn't fight at all.

We spent our time in Norfolk and we really had a ball,

Chasin' after women while our ship was overhauled,

A-livin' it up on grapefruit juice and sickbay alcohol.

 

And now the war is over and our story can be told

About our captain's fightin' and the young ones and the old.

We stayed in San Francisco , away from the battle scenes.

We spent our time on Treasure Island a-fightin' the Marines.

 

Oh, we didn't sink the Bismarck and we didn't fight at all.

We spent our time in Norfolk and we really had a ball,

Chasin' after women while our ship was overhauled,

A-livin' it up on grapefruit juice and sickbay alcohol.