“Battleship of Maine”
Description
Humorous song about a country boy caught up in the Spanish-American war, for which he has little sympathy. He describes bad conditions in the army, notes that the "Rough Riders" wear $5.50 shoes, while the poor farmers wear dollar-a-pair shoes.
Notes
For further information about the _Maine_ and the Spanish-American War, see the notes on "My Sweetheart Went Down with the Maine." - RBW
Historical references
- 1895 - Cubans rebel against Spain
- Feb 15, 1898 - Explosion of the battleship "Maine" in Havana harbour
- April 25, 1898 - Congress declares war on Spain
Cross references
- cf. "Mister McKinley (White House Blues)" (tune)
- cf. "If I Lose, I Don't Care" (tune, floating lyrics)
- cf. "Joking Henry" (tune)
- cf. "That Crazy War" (lyrics)
- cf. "My Sweetheart Went Down with the Maine" (theme) and references there
Recordings
- Mary C. Mann, "The Battleship of Maine" (AFS A-526, A-527, 1926)
- New Lost City Ramblers, "Battleship of Maine" (on NLCR01, NLCRCD1) (NLCR12) (NLCR16)
- Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers, "Battleship of Maine" (Victor 20936, 1927)
- Wilmer Watts and the Lonely Eagles, "Fightin' in the War with Spain" (Paramount 3254, 1931; on StuffDreams1)
References
- BrownII 239, "That Bloody War" (4 texts, of which the first two are this piece; the final two fragments appear to be "That Crazy War")
- Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 100-101, "Battleship of Maine" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Silber-FSWB, p. 288, "Battleship of Maine" (1 text)
- DT, BTTLMAIN*
- Roud #779
- BI, CSW100