This song may seem simple …
But it’s tightly constructed, too.
Stay on afterwards to hear the interview
Why the Lusitania has always loomed large in my imagination, for what reason I am not sure. In part was that it wasn’t the Titanic. How many ships have sank since the Titanic went down? Probably thousands. Yet we don’t know any of their names, and here’s the bigger point: The Titanic is somehow still making front page news. The more immediate backstory on the song: Somebody posted a cartoon featuring the Titanic on Facebook. Call it the straw that broke the camel’s back, a week later I’d written this song. I’ve since been told by a history buff that some of my facts are a little off. For example, Captain Turner wasn’t on the take. It turns out he didn’t know about the munitions in the cargo bay. Well, my take: Maybe he should have. The buck stops with the captain in my book. In its finality, by both way of its tone and its subtle yet strongly anti-war refrain, this song could be one of my best. I think it coveys a closeness and intense longing for a time gone by. I hope you enjoy.
