The Dead Men's Song

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 bos'n's pike.

The bos'n 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!

Fifteen men of a whole ship's list—

⁠Yo—ho—ho and a bottle of rum!

Dead and bedamned, and the rest gone whist!—

⁠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 for.

⁠⁠And there they lay,

⁠⁠⁠And the soggy skies

⁠⁠Dripped all day long

⁠⁠⁠In up-staring eyes—

At murk sunset and at 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 had the Murder mark—

⁠Yo—ho—ho and a bottle of rum!

'Twas a cutlass swipe, or an ounce of lead,

Or a yawing hole in a battered head—

And the scuppers glut with a rotting red.

⁠⁠And there they lay—

⁠⁠⁠Aye, damn my eyes!—

⁠⁠All lookouts clapped

⁠⁠⁠On paradise—

All 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 ha' sailed with Old Pew—

⁠Yo—ho—ho and a bottle of rum!

There was chest on chest full of Spanish gold,

With a ton of plate in the middle hold,

And the cabins riot of stuff untold.

⁠⁠And they lay there

⁠⁠⁠That had took the plum,

⁠⁠With sightless glare

⁠⁠⁠And their lips struck dumb,

While we shared all by the rule of thumb—

⁠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 mains'l tight,

With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight,

And we heaved 'era over and out of sight—

⁠⁠With a yo—heave—ho!

⁠⁠⁠And a fare—you—well!

⁠⁠And a sullen plunge

⁠⁠⁠In the sullen swell,

Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell—

⁠Yo—ho—ho and a bottle of rum!

• Artist:Harve Presnell