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PT-109 Lyrics

Artist: Jimmy Dean
Album: Greatest Hits

In '43 they Set to sea
13 men and Kennedy
Aboard the PT 109
To fight the Brazen enemy
On the isle of ol lusana
in the strait beyond nehru
A Jap deatroyer in the night
Cut the '109 in two.

CHORUS:
Smokin fire upon the sea
Everywhere they looked was the enemy
the heathen gods of old Japan
Yeah, the thought they had the best of a mighty good man

On the coast, commanderos, lookin thru this periscope
Australian niven saw the battle
For the crew had little hope
two were dead, some were wounded, all were clinging to the bow
Fightin fire, fightin water, trying to save their lives somehow.

CHORUS:
Smokin fire upon the sea
Everywhere they looked was the enemy
the heathen Gods of old Japan
Yeah, the thought they had the best of a mighty good man

Mac Me hun, the irishman, was burned so badly he couldn't swim
leave me here, go on he said, cause if you don't we'll all be dead
the PT's skipper wouldn't leave him, a man to die alone at sea
with his strap, between his teeth, he towed the irishman to the sea.

CHORUS:
Smokin fire upon the sea
everywhere they looked was the enemy
the heathen gods of old Japan
they thought they had the best of a mighty good man

He led his men thru water's Dark
rocky reefs and hungry skarks
braved the enemy's bayonets
a .38 around his neck
4 more days, 4 more nights,
a recue boat pulled into sight
the PT 109 was gone,
but Kennedy and his crew lived on

So who could Guess, and who could possibly know
that this same man named Kennedy, would,
be the leader of a nation,
be the one to take command,
the PT 109 was gone but Kennedy lived to fight again,

Smokin fire upon the sea,
Everywhere they looked was the enemy,
but JFK and his crew lived on,
which proves it's hard to get get the best of a man named John
Big John
Big John
Big John

Comments/Interpretations

by J Fred on 3/11/2010 3:55pm
whoever wrote these lyrics has no ear or knows nothing of WWII.
The Isle of ol lusana is actually Olasana Island; the strait beyond nehru is actually NARU; "commanderos" is actually on the coast of "Kolombangar"; Australian niven is actually "Australian Evans" - a coast watcher; and Mac Me hun is actually crewmember McMahon.

by forest wilson on 7/28/2010 7:19pm
He's right, these lyrics are incorrect

by a.b on 6/19/2011 9:22am
just watched film,lyrics not correct.

by shadowfluffy6 on 8/19/2011 8:01pm
it works for the song

by Kimbob on 10/15/2011 9:44pm
Having grown up with this song and movie, the interpretation is incorrect. What a disservice to a great man and movie

by minpin53 on 7/19/2012 6:14am
If yous guys have nothing better to do then proof read lyrics to a song that wasa written in tribute to one of the best President's of the USA you need to get a hobby. IT'S A SONG WHO CARES !

by Me on 12/8/2013 7:37am
I agree with minpin53.

by michael on 8/7/2014 1:51pm
lyrics not correct

by johnj1963 on 7/10/2015 11:55am
i agree with Kimbob: it is a great disservice to a great man and movie. Minpin53 - you're right it was written in tribute to one of the best President's of the USA - all the more reason to get it right. And he wasn't looking through "This periscope"- he was looking through his telescope. And Australian Evans wasn't born until 1958 (according to Wikkepedia) - after the war was over. And it's "smoke and fire" - not "smokin fire" - doesn't take away from the fact it's a great song and a great tribute. To a wonderful man. We even admired him up here in Canada.

by Mike on 1/9/2016 4:08am
Johnj1963

Arthur R. Evans was born in 1905, so I'm not sure whose Wiki you're looking at.

I'll just add an A to Fred's correction -- it's "Kolomangara".

It pains me that we can't submit corrections to these lyrics.