“Titanic” by The Carter Family
The Carter Family was a musical act from the early 20th century. And yes, they are singing about that Titanic, the purportedly ‘unsinkable’ ship that did in fact sink in 1912, claiming some 1,514 lives in the process – the same wreck that people are still making movies and stuff about to this day.
And as with all popular retellings of the incident, in this case there is also a villain, one “Captain Smith”. As the Carter family recounts, it was his desire “to win the record” which ultimately led to ship sinking, i.e. him “let(ting) the Titanic go on” even when he should not have.
Did Captain Smith actually cause the sinking of the Titanic?
According to history, that is at least partially true. He did proceed with the voyage despite being warned in advance of hazardous icebergs. But it doesn’t appear that Captain Edward Smith (1850-1912), who went down with the ship, was trying to ‘win a record’ as much as adhere to the set schedule. Or put differently, he was overly confident in the Titanic’s ability to avoid disaster.
“Watchman”
But with that noted, some parts of the song read more like folklore than actual fact. For instance, there is one “watchman” mentioned, who dreamed that the ship was sinking before it actually happened. And he took this vision so seriously that he “rose and called the rich man” and proceeded to ‘try to save his baby and darling wife’ from the catastrophe.
And whereas that story may not be literally true, it has been noted that some crew members did in fact put the lives of others, specifically women and children, before their own. So even if the dream or what have you is not factual per se, that part of the song was inspired by truth nonetheless.
“Nearer, My Got, to Thee”
What is actual fact though is that the ship’s band did continue playing even while the Titanic was sinking. And yes, the song they rendered as the vessel went down is called Nearer, My God, to Thee””, a tune that dates back to the 19th century.
Tragedy Aftermath
Then the final two parts of the song recount the reaction of the relatives of the victims upon receiving the tragic news. Perhaps some members of the Carter Family who were alive and cognizant back then witnessed such firsthand.
They refer to said individuals being resident in a particular “city”, even though those aboard the Titanic were from various localities. So this part of the song was simplified, shall we say in traditional folklore fashion, in the name of getting a point across. And most generally, that point would likely point to people being heartbroken upon hearing news of the ship’s sinking.
Conclusion
So conclusively, this is a piece whereas the listener gets exactly what one would expect. The sinking of the Titanic was a historical tragedy, and the Carter Family presents the incident in a way that would likely give one the feels.
The way they wave the tale reads a lot like a movie itself – we have the villain, the omen, the hero and the sentimental aftermath. And at the end of the day there doesn’t really seem to be a moral to the story. But the last line can be interpreted as the vocalist implying that such catastrophes caused by human pride are bound to happen again.
HOW THE SURVIVORS OF THE TITANIC SURVIVED
The Titanic disaster was one of the most lethal maritime disasters ever recorded in history. RMS Titanic, although built to withstand indestructible obstacles failed and sank after she hit an iceberg on the 14th of April, 1912.
The Titanic had an estimated number of 2,224 passengers and crew members. The disaster caused about 1,503 deaths leaving about 700 survivors. The north side of the Atlantic Ocean survived by the use of wireless telegraphy.
After 40 minutes of impact, Captain of the ship, Captain Smith ordered that the lifeboats be readied and women and children be loaded off into them. The first lifeboat carried 28 passengers.
Before the Titanic sank into the ocean, 2 additional lifeboats were readied but could not be launched properly. One of the boats floated away while the other got flooded.
Some group of passengers and crew members found a way to cling to the unlaunched boats, earning them a few hours of survival.
Around 4 a.m. on Monday, 15th April, the closest ship to the incident, Carpathia, arrived and rescued the remaining survivors. The last lifeboat with survivors exited the disaster site by 8:50 a.m.
