Listen to the story of a submarine
Lost in the Atlantic back in '63
a hundred eighteen men aboard and I was one
the maiden voyage of our ship had just begun
I heard the hull crack
I heard the captain cry
"The Thresher's taking water and we're going to die
The Thresher's fate has caught her, boys we're bound to die"
We finally made our rendevous with Davey Jones
the water is a lonely place to keep your bones
Mother, sister, daughter all prayed for me
Fourteen hundred fathoms down beneath the sea
you know I
I was young and I was brave
Sailors say the ocean is the coldest grave
Fourteen hundred fathoms down beneath the waves
This tune uses a simple A-E-A-D-A type progression.
The Thresher was lost off the coast of Massachusetts with all hands on April 10, 1963. I was living in Sudbury at the time and recall hearing about it on the radio. Strictly speaking, this was NOT her maiden voyage, so the lyrics err in that regard, although at the time the song was written that was my information, and I don't think the error does the song or the sailors any disservice. To learn more about this tragedy, try Subnet.com. As they say, "Shipmates on Eternal Patrol".