Funny pirate songs

We stumbled upon this little ditty while doing research on the Net in regards to seminal pirate songs. While we're not terribly familiar with the work of The Arrogant Worms we couldn't help but smile at their chutzpah. I mean who would have thought there'd be pirates in Canada? Not us, that's for sure. Then again the pirate spirit has the uncanny ability of manifesting itself anywhere it damn well pleases, Canada included.

Based on the first verse and chorus, this song is about a chap who just couldn't take it anymore. Instead of telling his bosses to take their job and shove it, he decided he'd shove it to the man, pirate style.

"The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" excerpt:
Well, I used to be a farmer and I made a living fine/I had a little stretch of land along the C. P. line/But times got tough, and though I tried, the money wasn't there/The bankers came and took my land and told me, "Fair is fair"/I looked for every kind of job, the answer always no/"Hire you now?" they'd always laugh, "We just let twenty go!" (Ha ha!)/The government, they promised me a measly little sum/But I've got too much pride to end up just another bum/Then I thought, who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone/I'm gonna be a pirate on the river Saskatchewan! (Arr!)

{Refrain:}

And it's a heave (ho!) hi (ho!), coming down the plains/

Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains/And it's a ho (hey!) hi (hey!), farmers bar yer doors/When you see the Jolly Roger on Regina's mighty shores…

9. "Captain Kidd" - traditional

Within the annals of pirate lore William Kidd ranks up there with the best of them. A one time pirate hunter, Kidd eventually turned coat and became a pirate himself. This song touches upon the act of murder he committed when he killed his gunner William Moore during a mutiny. Kidd himself was hanged as a pirate in 1701.

"Captain Kidd" excerpt:
My name is William Kidd, as I sailed, as I sailed/My name is William Kidd, as I sailed/ My name is William Kidd, God's laws I did forbid/ And most wickedly I did, as I sailed, as I sailed…

…Oh, I murdered William Moore, as I sailed, as I sailed/ I murdered William Moore, as I sailed/ I murdered William Moore and I left him in his gore/ Many leagues from shore, as I sailed, as I sailed

Oh, I steered from sound to sound, as I sailed, as I sailed/Oh I steered from sound to sound, as I sailed/ I steered from sound to sound, and many ships I found/And all of them I burned as I sailed, as I sailed…

8. "The Pirate King" - from The Pirates of Penzance

Easily one of the most successful and long-running of all stage musicals, Gilbert & Sullivan's classic The Pirates of Penzance first appeared in December of 1879. One of the signature songs from the opera was none other than "The Pirate King." The following except sums it all up:

"The Pirate King" excerpt:
Oh, better far to live and die/Under the brave black flag I fly,/Than play a sanctimonious part,/With a pirate head and a pirate heart./Away to the cheating world go you,/Where pirates all are well-to-do;/But I'll be true to the song I sing,/And live and die a Pirate King.

For I am a Pirate King!/And it is, it is a glorious thing/ To be a Pirate King!/For I am a Pirate King!...

7. "Shiver Me Timbers" & "Professional Pirate" - both culled from Muppets Treasure Island

There once was a time that the Muppets ruled the world. During that time they saw fit to crank out a pirate movie, aptly titled Muppets Treasure Island. True to form, the film contained a number of jolly and raucous musical bits, chief amongst them the "classic" pirate yarns "Shiver Me Timbers" and "Professional Pirate". Here's a brief lyrical sample of each:

"Shiver My Timbers" lyrical excerpt:
Shiver My Timbers, shiver My Soul/Yo Ho He Ho/There are men whos hearts as black as coal

And they sailed there ship across the ocean blue/A Blood thirsty captain and a cut throat crew./Its a darker tale as was ever told/Of a lust for treasure and a love of gold.../

Shiver My Timbers, Shiver my sides/Yo ho he ho/

There are hungers as strong as the winds and tides/Yo ho he ho/

And those bucaneers drowned there sins in rum,/The devil himself would have to call em scum!/Every man on board would have killed his mate for a bag of ginnys or a piece of eight, a piece of eight, a piece of eight/5 6 7 8…

"Professional Pirate" lyrical excerpt:
When I was just a lad looking for my true vocation/

My father said "Now son, this choice deserves deliberation/ Though you could be a doctor or perhaps a financier/ My boy why not consider a more challenging career"/ Hey ho ho/ You'll cruise to foreign shores/ And you'll keep your mind and body sound/ By working out of doors/ True friendship and adventure are what we can't live without/ And when you're a professional pirate/ That's what the job's about…

6. "Lincoln Park Pirates" - Steve Goodman

Folk singer Goodman penned this wonderful urban update on the pirate mythos back in the early '70s and it appeared on his second studio album, Somebody Else's Troubles.

"Lincoln Park Pirates" excerpt:
The streetlamps are on in Chicago tonight,/

And lovers a'gazin' at stars;/The stores are all closin', and Daley is dozin',/And the fat man is counting the cars.../And there's more cars than places to put 'em, he says,/But I've got room for them all;/So 'round 'em up boys, 'cause I want some more toys,/In the lot by the grocery store.../

To me, way, hey, tow them away,/The Lincoln Park Pirates are we,/From Wilmette to Gary, there's nothin' so hairy/

And we always collect our fee!/So it's way, hey, tow 'em away,/We plunder the streets of your town,/Be it Edsel or Chevy, there's no car too heavy,/And no one can make us shut down…

5. "Yo Ho A Pirate's Life For Me" - traditional

Practically every kid on the block knows the refrain "Yo ho, yo ho! A Pirate's life for me!" It's engrained in the collective consciousness like a nursery rhyme gone awry. Because of this, it makes our list without question.

"Yo Ho A Pirate's Life For Me" excerpt:
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot./Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!/We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot./Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho! A pirate's life for me.

We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack./Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!/Maraud and embezzle and even hijack./

Drink up me 'earties, Yo Ho!...

4. "Jolly Roger" - Roger McGuinn

Best known as the founder and frontman of legendary folk rockers The Byrds, McGuinn recorded an entire album seemingly dedicated to the rolling lifestyle of the open sea. Appropriately titled Cardiff Rose features a number of pirate inclined tunes including "Jolly Roger." The title tune, however, deserves notable mention due to the mythological references of a great ship.

"Cardiff Rose" excerpt:
The sun came up on the Spanish sea/ Our homeland far behind us/ Being junted by the King's Navy/ It's sure he'd never find us/ Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose/ And hoist the Jolly Roger/

We brought her into the looward wind/ And made for the Caribbean/ For thoughts of what it might have been/ Destroys a human bein'/

But thoughts about the Spaniards' gold/

And learnin' to desire it/Can make a man so brash and bold/ He'll soon become a pirate/Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose/ And hoist the Jolly Roger…

3. "Professor Booty" - Beastie Boys

Any song that begins with the little verbal question: "Professor, what's another name for Pirate treasure?" and is immediately followed by "Booty, booty…" is an instant classic. From a literal standpoint the song itself has little to do with pirates, but take one gander at the third verse and you can see that it embodies the pirate spirit on full-tilt:

"Professor Booty" excerpt:
So many wack M.C.'s/You get the T.V. bozack/Ain't even gonna call out your names/ 'Cause you're so wack/But one big oaf whose faker than plastic/A dictionary definition of the word spastic/You should have never started something/That you couldn't finish/'Cause writin' rhymes to me/Is like Popeye to spinach/I'm bad ass move your fat ass/'Cause you're wack son/Dancin' around like you think you're Janet Jackson…

2. "The Gruesome Death Of Edward Teach" - Scissorfight

Who would have thought that a punk outfit from New Hampshire would craft one of the more memorable odes to pirate yore? Taking the legendary Blackbeard as their subject matter, Scissorfight (Ironlung, Octocock, Jarvis, Kevin) kick out the jams with this little ditty. Sludgy and ominous, thanks to vocalist Ironlung's (a pirate name if ever there was one!) lumbering, juggernaut vocals and the rest of the band's steamroller on Quaaludes musical accompaniment, this song rumbles forth like an underwater dirge, toiling with salty froth and crashing waves on slo-mo menace.

1. "15 Men On A Dead Man's Chest" - traditional

Often confused with "Yo Ho A Pirate's Life For Me" (due to the "yo ho ho" chorus, no doubt) "Fifteen Men On A Dead Man's Chest" immediately conjures up images of scruffy bearded scallywags regaling in nefarious behavior of a cutthroat nature. It's a classic, a pure sing-a-long favorite, especially after imbibing in copious amounts of rum (or some other such pirate fancying beverage), a timeless number that never goes out of style.

"Fifteen Men On A Dead Man's Chest" excerpt:
Fifteen men on a dead man's chest/Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum/Drink and the devil had done for the rest/Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. /The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike/The bosun brained with a marlinspike/And cookey's throat was marked belike/It had been gripped by fingers ten;/And there they lay, all good dead men/Like break o'day in a boozing ken/Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum…

Comic songs about pirates and the sea.

Comic songs about pirates and the sea.

BLACK GALLEO.

The south wind blows
the galleon's sails,
The
Horizon strip burns with a bright glow.

I hear the cries of the crew:
"From the right side of the frigate!"
Come on guys,
Raise the black flag.

And our sinister ship,
Seeing an easy target,
Loads cannonballs into cannons,
Rushing through the waves like a shadow.

Pirates are grinning together,
Courage is spinning,
And, clinging to the ropes,
We are boarding!

Black Flag!
Strong rum!
We live only by this!
Clash of rapiers!
Wind howl!
We are playing with fate!

A lot of gold and women
We got this time,
And our holds are full,
The frame is cracking at the seams.

I barked loudly at the team:
“We are heading for a secret port!”
Let's take the prey there
And wash our campaign.

Everyone hit the mugs,
The wine flowed like a river,
The boatswain hit the coke in the face,
Because the soup is bad.

The skipper is drinking from three bottles,
A parrot is sitting on him,
On the beach, the crew is drinking
Black rum without snacks.

Black Flag!
Strong rum!
We live only by this!
Clash of rapiers!
Wind howl!
We are playing with fate!

I woke my eyes from a hangover,
I threw off the navigator,
And cast a cloudy look
I am a picture of life.

The skipper roasts a parrot,
The boatswain and the cook are sleeping together,
Only it's not very clear,
What happened to the ship.

“Now this island is inhabited”, I. Vinnik, A.Vievsky
Monologue of the pilot pirate schooner “The Ninth Wave”, which suffered an unwrecked shipwreck near a barn.

Now this island is inhabited,
and earlier - well, literally no one...
On the third day they ate a parrot -
found a piastres in its belly.

And for the fifth year we've all been playing the toss,
we've been playing our "Ninth Wave"...
Yesterday they beat coca bottles on the forecastle,
but he never gave up the mooring lines...

Our boatswain had a knack for preference,
a
he owes me a tattoo from my chest
and two Alexandrian lighthouses;

And our captain, from excitement, blue
curses my luck with all his might:
he owes me twelve water lines,
bomb-bramsel , shrouds, anchor and latrine

The toss is tired - well, okay:
I won all the cargo and rigging;
now, having split into two, the team of
is playing boarding under the palm trees. ..

Eternal stars twinkled in the sky,
the surf caressed the remains of the ship...
And we again found out to the point of wheezing,
what a bastard shouted - “Earth! »

Ilya Vinnik
About the origin of some traditions.

Probably, someone thinks that he was joking,
Cogla called our black flag "Jolly Roger".
But we remember well what our Roger was:
He was a bore of bores, a slob of sluts.

For four years he sailed on our ship with a cook
And he never took off his black apron either at night or during the day,
But he got lazy in the end and fed us so badly,
That he even served fish to the table almost alive.

“Pretty Gypsy” swims, “Pretty Gypsy” is in a hurry,
Pushing the waves with a mighty stern;
From Brighton to Tiksi everyone knows our "Gypsy"
And that's why they bypass the beauty.

But one morning in a dead calm, in the La Perouse Strait
During breakfast, we had an embarrassment:
When our skipper caught a jellyfish in his ear,
He immediately sent Roger to the bottom to feed the jellyfish;

And he ordered to raise a pirate black apron like a flag,
And he ascended to heaven like Roger's shadow.
And the skipper to Roger's honor with his usual tact
As a reminder of the ear, he came up with a fish day.

Pretty Gypsy is swimming, Pretty Gypsy is in a hurry,
Exposing your tight chest to the wind;
From Brighton to Tiksi everyone knows our "Gypsy"
And her "Jolly Roger" shows the way.

Pilot, Pirate.

Now trouble is following us everywhere,
Scuffing with his feet, breaking his crutches.
Our captain has found the wrong way,
The knife is dulling, the ship is dozing aground.

We were betrayed by a beautiful luck,
And there was no gold in the hold for a long time
Rogue rats come ashore,
A rusty anchor adorns the bottom.

If you weren’t proud, if you weren’t a bitch,
I wouldn’t rave about love with a fever, I wouldn’t drink fiery water
Raising a marvelous sail in the wind, a grappling hook and a lasso,
Like our last ship on the day, on the attack the captain would lead.

Why did you cover your eyes with a veil,
Why did you drag the wind with your absurd skirt?
Looks like our ancestors told us the truth:
"Unfortunately, the girl is always on board."

Why did you fill the captain with speeches,
I touched my heart string with a smile.
She hugged her neck with swarthy hands,
She gave trick with her tail, ran away in the morning.

If you weren't proud, if you weren't a bitch,
I wouldn't rave about the fever of love, I wouldn't drink fiery water.
Lifting the marvelous sail in the wind, grappling hook and lasso,
Like our last ship on the day, the captain would lead the attack.

Pirates will search for you all over the world
With a noose around your neck they will bring you to the bridge,
For false, changeable, evil lust
Upturned on the yoke and commemorated with rum.

So that you do not beckon the heart of the brave with a lie,
Love is not a card, cheating here is not to face.
And the Jolly Roger will fly up to the main mast,
The sea will lick the heart wound of the young man.

If you weren't proud, if you weren't a bitch,
I wouldn't rave about the fever of love, I wouldn't drink fiery water.
Lifting the marvelous sail in the wind, grappling hook and lasso,
Like our last ship on the day, the captain would lead the attack.

A pirate tale about Black Bertie,
whom the gang was scared to death...

Imagine, for a moment, a pirate,
Who can't stand debauchery at all
And doesn't smoke a pipe! And he doesn't drink rum!
And does not allow others to do all this!

Such extravagant behavior,
The brave, always elegant,
And who kept his whole gang in fear,
Caribbean pirate - Robert Bartholomew became famous.

Nicknamed "Black" for his dark complexion, Bertie,
He tortured the whole gang to death with culture -
Don't play dice with him, don't get drunk
Have fun with the harbor girl.

He dares those who disobey,
Threatened to send them to hang out on the yard!
The whole gang, of course, smoked quietly,
Drank underground, took women to the ship,

But a couple of fools were caught red-handed
And, for about a week, they hung on the yoke.
Since then, the discipline has been exemplary
And the gang led a healthy lifestyle.

About pirates.

When the black flag flies on the mast,
Everyone gets goosebumps -
And the pirates have yellow pants,
And the pirates have blue suspenders!

They rob ships on Wednesdays,
And on Friday they play checkers at night -
And the pirates have yellow pants,
And the pirates have blue suspenders!

How proudly the seagulls soar over the stern
And the lemonade gurgles in the flask!
Pirates have yellow pants,
Pirates have blue suspenders!

A proud galleon carries doubloons,
A sailor on the mast eats pistachios —
But the pirates have yellow pants,
But the pirates have blue suspenders!

The guns have been polished for a long time,
And the boatswain is stroking his shirt with a banner —
Pirates have yellow pants,
Pirates have blue suspenders!

They're going to board now,
And there they'll stuff their pockets with sweets!
Pirates have yellow pants!
Pirates have blue suspenders!

One-eyed pirate. Lyricist: Yuri Entin.

I'll wait for the golden catch!
I will find a diamond treasure!
Rogue is a nasty word!
I like the word "pirate"!
The skull and bones flaunt
We have a pirate flag.
At the sight of prey from anger
The only eye sparkles.

CHORUS:
I believe that piracy will bring me wealth!
After all, it is recognized by everyone:
Such is the time today!
Yo-ho-ho! Piracy
Will bring me wealth!
Today is the time yo-ho-ho!

I want to live in a country house
On a quiet river bank.
I suffer from heaving at sea.
And I can't swim at all.

But I, living on land,
I have a pirate outfit,
And also a pirate soul…
Pirate and on land - a pirate!

CHORUS:
I believe that piracy will bring me wealth!
After all, it is recognized by everyone:
Such is the time today!
Yo-ho-ho! Piracy
Will bring me wealth!
Today is the time yo-ho-ho!

There was a commotion on the pirate ship. ..

There was a commotion on the pirate ship
:
An old dog on a crutch -
The captain is dead.
And under the laughter of the sea wolves,
As under the roar of chimeras,

The young pioneer became their captain.

Chattering ceased
On the back of the waves.
All pirates in the morning
Wakes up a ringing bugle.
A brush in the teeth - like a knife,
Overboard - strong rum,
Saber - what can you take from it,
Scrap!

And does not rob the rich
Not a single pirate:
On his ship
Speeches are spoken.
And when all the ardor has passed,
The noise and din will subside,
The pioneer ship leads
To the bright shores.

But useful deeds
Can tire.
And the team ran away
Brew strong rum.
With a black mark on the forehead,
They drank themselves from longing.
So the pirates are on the ground
Everyone is gone.

E. Uspensky "Grandmother and granddaughter".

The blue dusk poured
Into the sails of the frigate.
Seeing off the robbery,
Pirate's grandmother.

Put two brass knuckles
And a bag for gold,
And then, of course, soap,
Tooth powder.

“Our dear breadwinner,
One-eyed Falcon,
Look at the boarding,
Do not climb in vain.

Do not visit unnecessarily
Cereal brothels,
Do not offend orphans in vain -
Take care of the cartridges.

Do not drink rum without a snack:
It is very harmful.
And always go with diamonds,
If there is no move.

But at this place suddenly
The grandson interrupted the old woman,
"Listen, grandmother, if everything
is so familiar to you, -
You go yourself,
And I'll stay at home!"

Pirate Uncle Petya.
Igor Irteniev.

Uncle Petya, mother's brother,
A pirate by profession,
Due to poor health
Fainted from blood,
And from the pitching of the keel
He didn't walk all day long.

He walked around the city
And shot at signs,
Wearing high heels
With a sharp saber in his hands.

If a friendly crew
Boarded the ship,
Where was the brave Uncle Petya?
Of course, in the infirmary.
And while the bullets whistled,
Slowly ate the pills.

He walked around the city
And shot at signs,
Wearing high heels
With a sharp saber in his hands.

And, hearing the thunder of cannons,
I drank not rum, like everyone else, but bromine.
But when he is on vacation his
He came to his home,
Then, barely putting on a camisole,
He became wild and angry.

He walked around the city
And shot at signs,
Wearing high heels
With a sharp saber in his hands.

"My Grandma Smokes a Pipe."

My grandmother smokes a pipe,
Black-black tobacco,
My grandmother smokes a pipe,
In a severe sailor's puff.
My grandma smokes a pipe
And loves fire rum0011 I'll drop by for a minute,
We have fun drinking it with her.

She has nothing left
She has three rubles in her purse.
My grandmother smokes a pipe,
My grandmother smokes a pipe.

My grandmother smokes a pipe
And draws plans to seize the ports,
And then she captures another neighbor

And turns her into a sailors' brothel.
Ta - becomes the best whore,
Ta - becomes a vamp,
She has a blue corset and garters,
A satin bow around her neck.

She has nothing left,
She has three rubles in her purse,
But my grandmother smokes a pipe,
My grandmother smokes a pipe.

My grandmother smokes a pipe
In her little room in Khrushchev,
My grandmother smokes a pipe
And through the smoke she sees the waves of the seas.
All the pirates in the world are afraid of her
And they are rightfully proud of her
Because the grandmother robs
And burns their frigates,
But she spares the elderly and children!

Because grandma robs
And burns their frigates,
But spares the elderly and children!

She doesn't even have a damn thing left!
She has three rubles in her purse,
But my grandmother smokes a pipe,
My grandmother smokes a pipe!

She has nothing left
She has three rubles in her purse.
And my grandmother smokes a pipe,
My grandmother smokes a pipe.

J. ADELUNG. YOU AND WE ARE NOT THE SAME FOR A LONG TIME...

You and I have not been the same for a long time,
We do not live in sinful deeds,
We sleep in warmth, we do not believe in the dark,
And the swords are hung on the wall.

A cafe was made in our schooner,
A cannon was defaced on the pedestal,
Gunpowder was used up by fireworks,
A gun carriage went to the hearse.

You and I have not been the same for a long time,
And we are not spoiled by danger,
Cap got into some kind of committee,
And the boatswain serves as a bouncer.

We are no longer happy with the dew,
We will not loosen up on sails,
The artel worker let loose
On the banners of the sail.

You and I are not the same at all,
And all the roads are booked for us,
We sleep warmly in the middle lane,
We have chosen the city as an eternal base.

I know we won't survive the winter,
And the schooner, like a dog on a leash,
The curve won't take you anywhere,
And the sea is waiting for us, damn it!

The sea is waiting, but we are not there at all!
We will send such a life to the devil!
- Boatswain! - I! - You will be the captain!
Let's put on the faded swords.

You and I will go through the taverns,
We will look for the old team,
And here, and here we are just superfluous.
Come on, command, captain!

Pirate songs: lyrics and one story: lll_niti - LiveJournal

Hoist the Colors

The king and his men
stole the queen from her bed
and bound her in her Bones.
The seas be ours
and by the powers
where we will we'll roam.

Yo, ho, all hands,
hoist the Colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

Some men have died
and some are alive
and others sail on the sea
– with the keys to the cage…
and the Devil to pay
we lay to Fiddler’s Green!

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the Colors high…
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

The bell has been raised
from it’s watery grave…
Do you hear it’s sepulchral tone?
We are a call to all
pay head the squall
and turn your sail towards home!

Yo, ho, haul together,
hoist the Colors high…
Heave ho, thieves and beggars,
never shall we die.

Let's raise the flags

Jolly dead man
Shepherd of black sheep
He gathered a free rabble...
And drove them into the distance
Them on the waves
The wind of free waters...

Yo-ho... the devil was waiting for us at the gates of hell

Yo-ho... away from the song,
What the pirate sings

Yo-ho, louder, damn...
Well, the devil is not happy with us...
Yo-ho... away from the song
With her, even to Heaven, even to Hell.

In the bottomless abyss, in the underwater hell,
Where Poseidon himself will perish
Death groan, grave ringing
There they will find.

Yo-ho, let's blast together
Well, the Devil is not happy with us
Yo-ho... away from the song
With her, even to Heaven, even to Hell.

***

Fifteen people for a dead man's chest

Who among the readers does not remember the famous pirate song from R. L. Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island"? It was sung by Billy Bones in the Admiral Benbow tavern, it was sung at the request of the sailors by John Silver on the deck of the Hispaniola, and the whole team picked up: “Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!”

But few people know that this song, popular in the 18th century, consisted of seven verses and had several variants among English sailors. It was sung to the tune of "Blow Monsoon Man Down!" and was called "The Passion of Billy Bones". About Billy Bones himself, whom Stevenson made the character of his novel, nothing was said in the song, from which it can be concluded that he was the author of its words.

It is appropriate to make a small comment about the chorus. To the ears of a Russian person, it is similar to the laughter of pirates. In fact, the refrain corresponds to ours: “One, two, they took it!”. This exclamation was used when the team needed to make some effort at once.

Below is the full text of the song translated by the poet Nikolai Pozdnyakov:

Fifteen people for a dead man's chest,
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
Drink and the devil will take you to the end.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

They were thirsty, in the end,
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
It began to seem to them that they were eating the dead.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

That they drink their blood and the mosls chew them.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
It was then that the devil Davy Jones emerged.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

He surfaced with a big black key,
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
With the key to the closet at the bottom of the sea.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Goggled like a forest owl,
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
And the head was shaking in eerie laughter.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

He said: “Now you will come with me,
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
I will bury you all in the abyss of the sea.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

And he dragged them to his underwater home,
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!
And locked the doors in it with that black key.
Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!

Judging by the title of the song, the pirate Billy Bones was one of the fifteen who got into the trouble described.

Researchers of Stevenson's work were especially intrigued by the words "fifteen men for a dead man's chest", which seemed to be complete nonsense. Stevenson did not leave any explanation on this matter, noting only that he borrowed this verse from the collection of an expert on the history of pirates Geoffrey Montague. Assumptions about the meaning of the mysterious words were expressed in a variety of ways, but none of them could withstand serious criticism. Since the novel's publication in 1883, the pirate song has stubbornly kept its secret.

The mystery of the "dead man's chest" and the fifteen pirates has been unraveled only in our time, and then by pure chance.

Quentin Van Marle, an English geographer, explorer, passionate traveler and collector of sea shells, undertook a small sea expedition across the Caribbean Sea to the region of Cuba. At his disposal was a speedboat, adapted for long walks on the sea. Suddenly, the boat's engine stalled, and all attempts to start it ended in failure. Looking at the sea through binoculars, Marlet saw a narrow strip of land on the horizon. Having built a primitive sail and taking advantage of a favorable wind, already at dusk Marlet reached a small island. The traveler spent the night in a boat, having previously reported his coordinates on the radio to the rescue service, and at dawn he decided to explore the island.

It turned out to be an uninhabited, dull piece of land, with an area of ​​only 200 m², rocky, covered with small bushes, the only inhabitants of which were snakes and lizards, which were found here in huge numbers.
Already aboard the rescue ship, Marlet asked the captain the name of the island where he spent the night. The answer threw Marla into amazement ... the island was called Dead Man's Chest!

The traveler immediately realized that he held the key to revealing the secret of the song from the novel "Treasure Island".

Next, Marlet undertook archival searches, studied the history of piracy in the Caribbean and detailed biographies of famous pirates. And finally, he found documents that fully confirmed his guess about the words from the pirate song.

This happened at the very beginning of the 18th century. On the pirate ship Queen Anne's Revenge, commanded by Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard, one of the most dangerous pirate leaders in the Caribbean, a mutiny broke out due to the cruelty of the captain. The rebels were not so lucky. Blackbeard, who was distinguished by his enormous strength and ability to wield weapons, locked himself in the cabin, fought off the attackers and quickly suppressed the rebellion.

Fifteen especially active rebels Tych decided to land on a deserted island called Dead Man's Chest. Each of the pirates was given a bottle of rum, and then a bunch of boarding sabers were thrown ashore. Teach knew that there were no sources of fresh water on the island, and rum only increased thirst, and, therefore, all the rebels were doomed to a painful death. But this was not enough for the vengeful Teach. Knowing the hot-tempered, uncontrollable in drunkenness nature of the pirates, he hoped that they would soon get drunk and chop each other up ...

Having landed the rebels on the island, Blackbeard set sail, and soon his ship disappeared over the horizon.

For Billy Bones and his comrades, terrible days and nights have come. It was really crowded on the Dead Man's Chest, like in a chest. On an elongated quadrangle of land measuring 10x20 meters, crowded people had no way to hide from the scorching sun, wind and snakes. With the help of a steel, the sailors got the fire and lit a small fire. During the night, they collected dew in pieces of canvas, slightly diluted it with sea water and equally divided among themselves, but there was still not enough water. From thirst and the scorching sun, many began to become delirious, and the inflamed brain of people gave birth at night to nightmarish monsters like the sea devil Davy Jones.

But contrary to Blackbeard's hopes, there were no fights or stabbings between the pirates. Perhaps the authority of Billy Bones contributed to this. Apparently, it was he who was predicted to be the captain instead of Tich by the unfortunate rebels.
At low tide, the island increased somewhat in size, the sea receded, and exhausted "Robinsons" collected clams, crabs and turtles among the corals.

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