| THE DERELICT Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest (YO-HO-HO AND A BOTTLE OF RUM) Original poem by Young Ewing Allison (1891) New musical setting by Mallory & McCall (c) 1994 Hear it on www.MySpace.com/SkeletonCrewPirateBand Fifteen men on the 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 bo'sun's pike And the bo'sun brained with a marlin-spike, The cookie's throat was marked belike Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! It had been clutched by fingers ten. And there they lay, all good dead men, Like break o' day in a boozin' ken Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Fifteen men of the whole ship's list, Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Dead and bedamned and their souls gone west Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! The skipper lay with his nob in gore Where the scullion's axe his cheek had shore, And the scullion he was stabbed four times four Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! And there they lay, and the soggy skies Rained all night long in upstaring eyes By murk sunset and by foul sunrise-- Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Fifteen men of 'em stiff and stark, Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Ten of the crew bore the murder mark, Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! 'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead, Or a gaping hole in a battered head, And the scuppers glut of a rotting red. Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! And there they lay, aye, damn my eyes, Their lookouts clapped on Paradise, And souls bound just contrariwise-- Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Fifteen men of 'em good and true, Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Every man jack could 'a sailed with Tom Tew Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! There was chest on chest of Spanish gold, And a ton of plate in the middle hold, And the cabins riot with loot untold-- Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! And there they lay that had took the plum, With sightless eyes and with lips struck dumb, While we shared all by rule o' thumb-- Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! More was seen through the stern's light screen, Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Chartings no doubt where the woman had been, Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! A flimsy shift on a bunker cot With a dirk slit sheer through the bosom spot And the lace stiff dry in a purplish rot-- Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Or was she wench or shuddering maid-- She dared for gold but she took the blade-- (Now it matters not for the price is paid!) Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! Fifteen men on the 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! We wrapped 'em all in a mainsail tight, With twice ten turns of hawser's bight. And we heaved 'em over and out of sight, Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! With a yo-heave-ho and a fare-ye-well, And a sullen plunge in a sullen swell. Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell-- Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum! |
| Thanks to Robert Lewis Stevenson, the first line of this remarkable account is probably the most famous snatch of pirate song ever (not forgetting the strong challenge from the upstart: Disney's "A Pirate's Life for Me"). Most folks assume that Long John is singing a venerable old chantey, but as far as research has unearthed, there existed no more of it until 1891, when one Young Ewing Allison finished it in style. Later, music was set to his poem and it was put into a revue staged at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Allison apparently kept working to refine his epic for years--a life-long project. When we were given a copy of these evocative words, we didn't have music. In fact, we weren't even sure there was any. The lyrics were far too good for us not to perform. So, being us, we wrote our own! Now, some folks prefer our setting to the 1901 original by Henry Waller. Note: Some pirates swear that the Deadman's Chest is a treasure island. Do you know? Could the account here given have some truth to it? Did Stevenson and "Young" Allison know a secret now lost? Or is it all a flight of colorful fancy? If not, could the bloody treasure still be there? Should we go find it? Nah. So, in the meantime, we enjoy the song. Our version can be heard on our "Rough Draft Sampler" CD... and the upcoming "Kings of the Sea" CD. The complete music and lyrics are in the book And Then We Wrote...and Re-Wrote... Or, if you just can't wait, click to below where an early version is linked for your enjoyment. |
 |
 |
. |
| HEAR THIS AND OTHER M&Mc SONGS We have set up sites on MySpace for you to hear some rough draft and finished recordings of our songs. If you can stand the yelling happy faces that sometimes accompany the songs, give it a click! For Mallory & McCall's page CLICK on the green M&Mc. The Skeleton Crew Pirate Band's site is on the other side of the skull. And we now have a Janus Company Radio Theatre musical site so you can hear some of those songs: click the faces.. NEW: Kings of the Sea site to celebrate the new CD. Click the crowned skull. Sites are chronically Under Construction. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Hear The Derelict and other great songs on The Skeleton Crew Pirate Band/ Mallory & McCall's new CD "Kings of the Sea" CLICK on the album cover for details!!!!! |
 |
| Mallory & McCall MySpace |
| Skeleton Crew Pirate Band MySpace |
| Janus Company Radio Theatre MySpace |
| Kings of the Sea MySpace |
| Wnat More Pirate Tunes? Click HERE for new lyrics to traditional Irish drinking songs. And check the Visual Arts and Music Index (click eye to the right) to find more. |
 |
| Lyrics formatted to print on two pages. |
| To hire Mallory & McCall and/or the Skeleton Crew Pirate Band, email us! |