# Songs about historical events **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532 "2010-04-09T14:54:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/1 "2010-04-09T14:54:19Z")
I need help coming up with a list of songs about actual historical events…some I can think of are “The Battle of New Orleans”, “1916” (Motorhead), “Ohio” (CSNY). I’m sure there are a whole lot more that I can’t think of, but I know folks around here always come up with good ideas. I’m not just looking for a song that makes an off-hand mention of an event so much as the song having some historical event as its subject matter. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/2 "2010-04-09T15:17:59Z")
“Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/3 "2010-04-09T15:18:17Z")
How about “The Foggy Dew”, or “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, or “Kilkelly, Ireland” (about Irish people coming to the US and leaving their families behind - not one specific event, but an era in history.) God, there’s tons of them. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/4 "2010-04-09T15:21:51Z")
**Sink the Bismark** > [@](#): > > In May of nineteen forty-one the war had just begun > The Germans had the biggest ship that had the biggest guns > The Bismark was the fastest ship that ever sailed the seas ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/5 "2010-04-09T15:32:45Z")
There are some old songs about British and French naval battles, like “The First of June” about the Glorious First of June 1794, and “The Battle of the Nile”, about Nelson’s naval victory in 1798. Those are included in a great album called “Roast Beef of Old England”, a collection of songs and tunes mentioned in Patrick O’Brian’s historical novels. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/6 "2010-04-09T15:39:44Z")
Two words…Iron Maiden! ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/7 "2010-04-09T15:41:11Z")
_American Pie_ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/8 "2010-04-09T16:09:07Z")
“We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 Various songs from **Les Miserables** “Saint Martha Blues” by Otis Taylor (about the lynching of his great grandfather). "[God Moves On the Water"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFhqL3uhlMw&feature=related)by Blind Willie Johnson (the _Titanic_) “Legend of the U.S.S. Titanic” by Jamie Brocket/Leadbelly (not really historically accurate . . . well, not accurate at all, but still a great song). ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/9 "2010-04-09T16:10:39Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > **Sink the Bismark** I’ll piggyback on your post by mentioning another one by Johnny Horton that, I think, would qualify: “North to Alaska.” (The Alaska gold rush) ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/10 "2010-04-09T16:11:01Z")
“1816, the Year Without a Summer” by Rasputina “The Monitor” by Bishop Allen ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/11 "2010-04-09T16:15:21Z")
[Galveston Flood](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TZxQft6-f8) - Tony Rice ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/12 "2010-04-09T16:32:40Z")
Smoke on the Water ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/13 "2010-04-09T16:33:23Z")
I don’t know if this counts, but \*\*Uncle Tupelo \*\*had a song called “New Madrid” that though not directly about the major New Madrid earthquake of 1811, seems to use a lot of disaster and earthquake imagery. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/14 "2010-04-09T16:49:57Z")
_Casey Jones_ and its various incarnations [_The Death of Floyd Collins_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floyd_Collins) and _Collins Cave_ ETA: _Lucky Lindy_. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/15 "2010-04-09T16:54:47Z")
“Ohio” by Neil Young. “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Young Last Night” is an old standard, Joan Baez does a lovely version. “Zoot Suit Riots” by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies is about actual riots in Los Angeles in the 1940s. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/16 "2010-04-09T17:03:34Z")
The Christmas Eve 1915 truce by [Jerry Lynch](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT0ysO58KXE) and [Celtic Thunder](http://www.slack-time.com/music-video-5025-Celtic-Thunder-Christmas-1915). And a [similar song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujJD122Yd9U) that oddly places it in 1914. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/17 "2010-04-09T17:09:57Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Young Last Night” is an old standard, Joan Baez does a lovely version. **Joe Hill** , not Joe Young. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/18 "2010-04-09T17:13:34Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > \ > “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Young Last Night” is an old standard, Joan Baez does a lovely version.\ Folk nerd nitpick here : the song is “Joe Hill”. Al Stewart’s _Past, Present and Future_ album contains several historical based song with among others : “The last day of June 1934” (about the night of the long knives) and “Roads to Moscow”. In fact there are several songs based on historical events in his whole catalog. Woody Guthrie’s “The sinking of theReuben James” (about one of the first US ship sunk in WW II) and “1913 Massacree” (about the Italian Hall fire in Calumet Michigan). ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/19 "2010-04-09T17:14:46Z")
James K. Polk, by They Might Be Giants. About (surprise!) the campaign and presidency of James K. Polk, “our eleventh President.” ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532/20 "2010-04-09T17:15:28Z")
[Halley Came To Jackson](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxpSNABnGcM) makes me cry every time I hear it. It’s a story of Eudora Welty’s life re: Halley’s Comet. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-historical-events/535532.md?page=2)