Your favourite boaty-themed song?

Some excellent suggestions and here's another one to consider; 'Let her go down' by Steeleye Span written by their fiddler Peter Knight when he was working as a fisherman in the English Channel during a time when the band had [temporarily] split up.


]
Let Her Go Down
'Peter Knight'
To play along to the CD. put Capo on second fret.
Verse 1
[C]Sometime in Oc[F]tober,
We [G] sailed from [F]England's [C]shore;
When we [G]sailed in[C]to a [G]raging [C]storm
Like I've [F]never, ever [G]seen be[C]fore.
[F]All of the crew, they were [G]brave men
But the [C]captain, he was [C7]bra[F]ver
He said, [G]"never [C]mind the [G]ship, me [C]boys,
There's none of us here can [F]save her;
Chorus
Let her go [C]down [G] [F]
[G]Swim for your [C]lives[G] [F]
[G]Swim for your [C]children
[Dm]Swim for your [F]wives
But [G]let her go [C]down; [G] [F] let her go [C]down.
Verse 2
Lost in the open ocean
There were some of the crew and me
As the captain steered our wounded ship
To the bottom of an angry sea
And with his dying breath we all heard him say,
"It's the fortune of a sailor"
And he said, "never mind the ship, me boys,
There's none of us here can save her;
Chorus
Verse 3
(Same chords up one whole step to 'D')
He wondered if his shipmates
Were ready just to pray and give in;
So he called their names out one by one
But there was no one else around but him.
He saw the ship go down in the fading light
And he knew he could have saved her.
He said, "the captain lied when the captain cried,
'There's none of us here can save her;'"
Chorus
 
[ QUOTE ]
Spanish Ladies

Anon

Farewell and adeiu to you sweet spanish ladies
fairwell and adieu to you ladies of spain
te tum te tum te tum to old England
from Ushant to Scillies is a b---dy long way.

Many verses te tum te tum etc.

sang it as i went round Ushant last year, crew werent impressed either.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now, this was a poor version, shouldn't it be:

Farewell and adeiu to you spanish ladies,
fairwell and adieu you ladies of spain,
For we've received orders t'sail from Old England.
and we hope in a short while to see you again,
We'll rant and we'll roll, like true British sailors,
we'll rant and we'll roll all across the salt seas,
Until we strike soundings, in the channel of Old England,
from Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues...
 
C'est mon bateau

C'est mon bateau
Mon voyage en solitaire
Rien n'est plus beau
Que le silence et la mer
Avec lui j'irai jusqu'au bout du monde

Mon compagnon
Mon complice de toujours
A l'horizon, a l'aube d'un nouveau jour
Nous disparaîtrons
Tous deux ensemble

Ils disent qu'ailleurs ce n'est pas mieux qu'ici
Et que d'ailleurs, il n'y a plus d'paradis
Que ça ne vaut pas la peine
De quitter ceux qu'on aime
Ils disent qu'ailleurs il n'y a plus rien à voir
Et qu'il vaut mieux abandonner tout espoir
Et s'avouer perdu quand l'océan se déchaîne

Prenons le large
Et le vent dans la voile
Sur mon visage
Restera sans égal
Rien, ni personne ne peut
Me retenir
Nous irons loin
Au gré du temps
De port en port
Et d'escale en escale
Nous vivrons d'aventures
Impossibles à d'écrire.
 
A pedant writes...

Can't believe I'm saying this in the context of the bonzos but I think you may mean "Rhinocratic Oaths" rather than "My pink half of the drainpipe"
 
Spanish Ladies - aaargh - All I can think of now is Robert Shaw as Quint in Jaws. I'll never get to sleep for worrying when the shark is going to attack the boat!
 
Similarly some mike oldfield "sailors hornpipe, portsmouth, blue peter, get to france (with words)"---taking on water sailing the restless sea regularly mentally play these in my mind whilst single handing!
is this normal or am i just WEIRD ?. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
there comming to take me away ha ha
there coming to take me away
/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Re: A pedant is correct...

In your defence, on my double Best of the Bonzo album My Pink Half of the Drainpipe and Rhinocratic Oaths are both track 12 on different CDs. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I've even listened to be sure. Now hands up if you think Mr. Apollo is the greatest song ever written. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
The Irish Rover - Fantastic song and a quintessential piece of Irish exaggeration.

For something more mellow try Christy Moore's "The Voyage"

I am a sailor, you're my first mate
We signed on together, we coupled our fate
Hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail
For the hearts treasure, together we set sail

With no maps to guide us we steered our own course
Rode out the storms when the winds were gale force
Sat out the doldrums in patience and hope
Working together we learned how to cope

Chorus:
Life is an ocean and love is a boat
In troubled water that keeps us afloat
When we started the voyage, there was just me and you
Now gathered round us, we have our own crew

Together we're in this relationship
We built it with care to last the whole trip
Our true destination's not marked on any charts
We're navigating to the shores of the heart

Chorus 2x
 
Columbus - Mary Black.

Better keep your distance from this whale
Better keep your boat from going astray
Find yourself a partner and treat them well
Try to give them shelter night and day
'Cause here in this blue light
Far away from the fireside
Things can get twisted and crazy and crowded
You can't even feel right

So you dream of Columbus
Ever time the panic starts
You dream of Columbus
With your maps and your beautiful charts
You dream of Columbus
With an ache in your travelling heart

See how the cormorant swoops and dives
Must be some thrill to go that deep
Down to the basement of this life
Down to where the mermaid gently sleeps
Not like here in this blue light
Far away from the fireside
Where things can get twisted and haunted and crowded
You can't even feel alright

Chorus

And as tide must ebb and flow
I am dragged down under
And I wait the livelong day
For an end to my hunger

So I dream of Columbus
Every time that the panic starts
I dream of Columbus
With my maps and my beautiful charts
I dream of Columbus
And there's peace in a traveling heart
I dream of Columbus
 
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