Put the Blame on Mame
"Put the Blame on Mame" is a song by Allan Roberts and Doris Fisher, originally written for the classic Film noir, Gilda in 1946 – in which it was sung by the title character, played by Rita Hayworth with the singing voice of Anita Kert Ellis dubbed in.
In keeping with the film character Gilda being "the ultimate femme fatale", the song sung by her at two scenes facetiously credits the amorous activities of a woman named "Mame" as the true cause of three well-known cataclysmic events in American history: The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Great Blizzard of 1888 in New York City and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Mame is also credited with causing the fictional Shooting of Dan McGrew during the Yukon Gold Rush - an event derived from a short narrative poem published in 1907 by Robert W. Service.
The song was later reprised as an instrumental version in another quintessential noir film, 1953's The Big Heat, when Gilda star Glenn Ford first meets Lee Marvin's character in a bar.
Podcasts:
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by Titanic Movie (other tracks) soundtrack
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by Agnostic Front
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by Madball
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by Metanoia
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by All Star United
The Blame
by: Titanic Movie (other tracks) soundtrackThanks to Julia James for submitting
the lyrics
Surely something can be done to help us...
Thousands on board
Trusting and warm
Roused from their sleep
Sent up above
Unsinkable ship
What is she now?
What is she now?
Possibly she won't go down
Possibly she'll stay afloat
Possibly all this could come to an end
On a positive note...
Not unless the ship could fly
Not unless we all sprout wings!
Honestly sir, I have built her from scratch
And I know certain things!
If you know so much
Why didn't you know to prevent this!
What's to become of us all,
Now that providence sent this!
This is your work Mr. Andrews!
You have done us in!
Where's her leakproof bulkheads?
Where's her double skin?
That's your job!
If someone must take the blame
It is you!
You!...
Innocent folk
Held in our care
Living their lives
Dreaming their dreams
Dreaming their dreams...
Possibly a ship will come
Possibly we'll all be saved...
Dammit sir, Listen!
We're hemorrhaging fast!
It's our hull that's been staved!
Couldn't you design it right?
Whoever heard of steel that rips?
Ismay, I'm just in the business of building
It's God who sinks ships!...
There stands the Captain
Who sailed us straight into disaster!
Oh, now it's the Captain's turn!
Pray who urged him to go faster?...
Well then, thank you Mr. Ismay
For your contribution!
Now please pray for some miraculous solution!
Your timing is perfect!
Now help us, please!
If you can!
Who called for speed and to break every record?!
Who had to keep all the millionaires happy?!
How dare you Smith!
I will not stand here indicted!
Who ignored warnings of icebergs when sighted?
Who, Sir, refused to extend up the bulkheads?!
You sir! To give the first class bigger staterooms!
And who undermined the position of Captain?
And who took a course too far north for the Season?
And who kept insisting
We land ever sooner?...
And who should
have posted
More lookouts
in darkness?...
(And who had to have
both the largest and
fastest?...)
Who did it?!
Who did it?!
Who did it?!
Who did it?!
Who did it!?!
Possibly the Lord will act...
Possibly he will provide...
And indicate how
Our unthinkable fate
Can be somehow denied
Somehow denied...
Your work
No one else's...
My doing
No one else's...
There's only one Captain
And I was in charge...
This is my ship
No one else's...