Sink the Bismarck
Johnny Horton
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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
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Written by: JOHNNY HORTON, TILLMAN FRANKS
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
10 facts about this song
Release and Popularity"Sink the Bismarck" was released in 1960 and quickly became a top hit, reaching number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in America.
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Historical OriginsThe song tells the story of Operation Rheinübung, a Nazi Germany naval mission during World War II. This operation aimed to disrupt British shipping lines with their most formidable battleship - the Bismarck.
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Tribute to British NavyAlthough an American country singer sings the track, the song pays homage to the British Royal Navy, praising their courage and determination in their mission to sink the Bismarck.
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Film Connection"Sink the Bismarck" was written to promote the British drama film of the same name. However, due to a mix-up with the film titles in different markets, some versions of the song replace 'Bismarck' with 'Bismark'.
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SongwriterThe song was written by Johnny Horton and Tillman Franks.
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GenreIt is an example of saga song or historical ballad genre which Johnny Horton specialized in. These songs tell detailed epic stories and are usually inspired by historical events.
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Posthumous HitHorton experienced a tragic death in a car accident months after the song's release. "Sink the Bismarck" was one of the last songs he released while alive and it went on to be a posthumous hit.
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MisinterpretationDespite being a factual recount of a historical event, the song has been erroneously dubbed by some as pro-Nazi propaganda owing to a misunderstanding of the lyrics.
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Cover VersionsThe song has been covered by various artists including Les Humphries Singers, Blues Brothers Band, and The Boarding Crew.
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Impact on Pop CultureThe song has left a significant mark on pop culture too. It was featured in Stephen King's book "Christine" and also found its way into an episode of "The Simpsons."
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Citation
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