This is my view of a well-known event from a different angle. i.e. The sinking of the Titanic ship in 2 hours and 40 mins in 1912, 370 miles off Newfoundland in Cananda.
The main character in my song is a Mr J Bruce Ismay, who became known as the ‘Coward of the Titanic’. At the time, he was President of The White Star Line, the company that owned the Titanic, which sank on its maiden voyage
Mr Ismay was also originally involved in the ships design, demanding a reduction in the number of lifeboats from 48 to 20, for so called aesthetic reasons.
Somehow, Mr Ismay and his wife, survived in Lifeboat C, whilst 1500 other unfortunate souls died in the ice-cold waters.
This led to public vilification, despite his claims that he tried to help others. The disaster destroyed his reputation,leaving him to spend the rest of his life in isolation in Ireland
The story of the song starts in his cabin on the boat, as the ship crashes into the iceberg.At this point Mr Ismay reportedly, ignored the traditional ships orders of ‘women and children first’
With the help of a £5 bribe, he and his wife and a member of the crew, launched their own lifeboat in order to survive amongst the chaos.
But significantly, the lifeboat was only half full and he could have gone back to save many others. Afterwards he claimed, ‘no children were begging for mercy’
However, this led to widespread public suspicion and ridicule.Mr Ismay spent the rest of his life alone, fishing on the river.Later in life as a stroke, left him unconscious and blinded
Simplicity, with clear lyrics to explain the events of that night, in some detail
A lone female voice with a lone acoustic guitar and a simple almost ‘funeral like’ beat.
Folk genre, to not lose the ‘messaging’ and to give it a historical feel. The song is all about the key questions on the night
Why did you pay the man in the lifeboat?
Why did you launch the lifeboat half empty?
Could you have gone back and saved others?
Was the ship trying to beat the trans-Atlantic speed record?
Did you put pressure on the captain, and was this one of the reasons the ship hit the iceberg?
Melancholic , describing the disaster, full of regret and sadness.
But also, one of cruelty and public humiliation