The real “Sloop John B.” was found wrecked in the year 1926. The folk tale was written into a poem by Carl Sandburg, and was included in Sandburg's “American Songbook” in 1927. From there, the Kingston Trio adapted it to song, until the 1966 version I knew by the Beach Boys.

When did Sloop John B come out?

An ancient folk song chronicling boating misadventures, “Sloop John B” was transformed into a chamber-pop classic when the Beach Boys recorded the tune and released it on their groundbreaking 1966 album Pet Sounds. Before then, the song—originally called “The John B. Sails”—had traveled far and wide.

Is Sloop John B about Vietnam?

The lyrics of "Sloop John B" -- why don't they let me go home/ this is the worst trip/ I've ever been on -- came to be about wanting to leave Vietnam. ... "The lyric is, 'one of these mornings, the chain is going to break,' " Werner said.