Derelict

15 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 on the boson's pike

the boson brained on a marlinspike

and 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 boozing ken

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

15 men on a whole ships 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

(now) the skipper lay with his nob in gore

where the scullions axe his cheek had shore

and the scullion he was stabbed times four

and there they lay in the soggy skies

dripped all day long in upstarin eyes

a murk sunset and a foulsunrise

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

15 men of em stiff and stark

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

10 of the crew bore the murder mark

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce o lead

or a yawing hole in a battered head

and the skuppers glut was a rotting red

and there they lay aye damn me eyes

all lookouts clapped on paradise

all sould bound just contrariwise

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

15 men of em good and true

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

every man jack could have sailed with old Pew

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

there was chest on chest full of Spanish gold

and a ton o plate in the middle hold

and the capts riot of loot untold

there they lay what had took the plum

with sightless glare and lips struck dumb

while we shared all byt he rule of thumb

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

More was seen thru the sternlight screen

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

chartings no doubt where a woman had been

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

twas a flimsy shift on a bunker cot

with a thin dirk slot thru the bosum spot

and the lace stiff dry in a purplish blot

was she a wench some shuddering maid

what dared for gold and took the blade

by god she was stuff for a plucky jade

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Now 15 men on the dead man' 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

(well) we wrapped em all in a mainsail tight

with twice ten turns of a hawser's bite

and we heaved em over and out o sight

with a yo heave ho and a fare ya well

in a sullen plunge and a sullen swell

ten fathoms deep on the road to hell

yo ho ho and a bottle of rum