mathos : that's what we would shout as young fellows growing up in hamburg !
"Fifteen men on a dead mans chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum "
here we go !
1. 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.
2. Fifteen men of the whole ship's list
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Dead and be damned 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 times four
And there they lay, and the soggy skies
Dripped down in up-staring eyes
In murk sunset and foul sunrise
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
3. 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
Looking up at paradise
All souls bound just contrawise
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
4. Fifteen men of 'em good and true
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Ev'ry man jack could ha' sailed with Old Pew,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
There was chest on chest of Spanish gold
With a ton of plate in the middle hold
And the cabins riot of stuff untold,
And they lay there that 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!
5. More was seen through a sternlight screen
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Chartings undoubt where a woman had been
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
'Twas a flimsy shift on a bunker cot
With a dirk slit sheer through the bosom spot
And the lace stiff dry in a purplish blot
Oh was she wench or some shudderin' maid
That dared the knife and took the blade
By God! she had stuff for a plucky jade
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
6. 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.
We wrapped 'em all in a mains'l tight
With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight
And we heaved 'em over and out of sight,
With a Yo-Heave-Ho! and a fare-you-well
And a sudden plunge in the sullen swell
Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
That is the first time I have read the 'sailor's chant' for many years hamburger, brilliant rendition;- Well done Sir!
<you should hear him hum/sing it :wink: >
shout it out loud
in highschool i had a wonderful voice - i was always asked to stand in the last row in choir - didn't want to hog the limelight. hbg
Yo Ho Ho hbg, great song.....
Here's a version with explanation from my hundred year old copy of "Treasure Island" by Stevenson...
enjoy - - - big grin
danon : thanks for sharing a page from your old book ! i enjoy looking through some of my old books - even if they are tattered and torn - it usually serves as a reminder of something special. hbg
hbg,
Oldest Book................
Thought you may be interested in this one.... I saved it from the burn pile in Leopoldsdorf, Austria in a very ancient home.
Danon, that was a worthwile rescue indeed.
danon : thanks ! that just great, probably would be quite a find for a researcher or museum. i would guesss that it would easily be 200 years old judging from the script - can't see a date.
walter would probably be able to tell us something more about it. hbg
Walter Walter lead me to the alter.
alter my trousers please.
