Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Abney Park
Canonical path: /abney-park/the-derelict
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
The Derelict
Read The Derelict lyrics by Abney Park on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
The Derelict
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
Fifteen men on the Dead Man's chest
Drink and the Devil had done for the rest
The mate was fixed with the bo'sun's pike
And the bo'sun brained with a marlin-spike,
Cookie'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 boozin' den
Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum!
Fifteen men of the whole ship's list
Dead and bedamned and the rest gone whist
The skipper lay with his nob in gore
Where the scullion's axe his cheek had shore,
And the scullion he'd been stabbed times four
And there they lay, and the soggy skies
Dripped all day long up staring eyes
By murk sunset and by foul sunrise--
Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum!
Fifteen men of 'em stiff and stark
Ten of the crew bore the murder mark
'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead,
Or a yawning hole in a battered head,
And the scuppers glut of a rotting red.
And there they lay, aye, damn my eyes,
Their lookouts clapped on Paradise,
And their souls bound just contrariwise--
Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum!
Fifteen men of 'em good and true
Every man jack could 'a sailed with Old Pew
There was chest on chest full of Spanish gold,
And a ton of plate in the middle hold,
And the cabins riot with loot untold--
And there they lay that had took the plum,
With sightless glare and lips struck dumb,
While we shared all by the rule o' thumb--
Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum!
More was seen through the stern light screen
Charting, no doubt, where a woman had been
A flimsy shift on a bunker cot
With a thin dirk slot through the bosom spot
And the lace stiff dry with a purplish blot--
Oh, was she a wench, some shuddering maid--
That dared the knife and took the blade--
By God, she was tough for a plucky jade--
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 them all in a mainsail tight,
With twice ten turns of hawser's bight.
And we heaved 'em over and out of sight,
With a yo-heave-ho and a fare-ye-well,
A sudden plunge in a sullen swell.
Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell--
Yo-Ho-Ho and a bottle of rum!
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "The Derelict"?
Abney Park performs "The Derelict", and this lyric page sits inside the Abney Park catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "The Derelict"?
Yes. The related section below points to The Dark And Twisty Road and Dead Silence with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Abney Park?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Abney Park's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on The Derelict yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.