The Mariner's Revenge Song
The Decemberists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our ships' sole survivors
In this belly of a whale
Its ribs are ceiling beams
Its guts are carpeting
I guess we have some time to kill
You may not remember me
I was a child of three
And you, a lad of eighteen
But I remember you
And I will relay to you
How our histories interweave
At the time you were
A rake and a roustabout
Spending all your money
On the whores and hounds
Oh
You had a charming air
All cheap and debonair
My widowed mother found so sweet
And so she took you in
Her sheets still warm with him
Now filled with filth and foul disease
As time wore on you proved
A debt-ridden drunken mess
Leaving my mother
A poor consumptive wretch
Oh, oh
And then you disappeared
Your gambling arrears
The only thing you left behind
And then the magistrate
Reclaimed our small estate
And my poor mother lost her mind
Then, one day in spring
My dear sweet mother died
But before she did
I took her hand as she, dying, cried
Oh, oh
"Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole
Until he wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling of his grave"
It took me fifteen years
To swallow all my tears
Among the urchins in the street
Until a priory
Took pity and hired me
To keep their vestry nice and neat
But never once in the employ
Of these holy men
Did I ever once turn my mind
From the thought of revenge
Oh, oh
One night I overheard
The prior exchanging words
With a penitent whaler from the sea
The captain of his ship
Who matched you toe to tip
Was known for wanton cruelty
The following day
I shipped to sea with a privateer
And in the whistle of the wind
I could almost hear
Oh, oh
"Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole
Until he wakes up, naked
Clawing at the ceiling of his grave
There is one thing I must say to you
As you sail across the sea
Always, your mother will watch over you
As you avenge this wicked deed"
And then, that fateful night
We had you in our sight
After twenty months at sea
Your starboard flank abeam
I was getting my muskets clean
When came this rumbling from beneath
The ocean shook
The sky went black
And the captain quailed
And before us grew
The angry jaws
Of a giant whale
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Don't know how I survived
The crew all was chewed alive
I must have slipped between his teeth
But, oh, what providence
What divine intelligence
That you should survive as well as me
It gives my heart great joy
To see your eyes fill with fear
So lean in close and I will whisper
The last words you'll hear
Oh, oh
The Decemberists' song "The Mariner's Revenge Song" tells the story of two mariners who survive a shipwreck and end up in the belly of a whale. As they wait for a possible rescue or an end to their confinement, they recount their intertwined pasts, revealing a history of betrayal, revenge and sorrow. One of the characters had been taken in by the other's mother, but eventually became a drunk who left her with nothing before disappearing with his gambling debts. The mother dies while cursing his name and her son spends the next 15 years seeking revenge. Years later, the son hears that the object of his revenge is on a ship captained by a known cruel man. He signs up with a privateer and pursues the ship, only to end up in the whale's belly with his target.
The lyrics of "The Mariner's Revenge Song" use a traditional storytelling structure and language reminiscent of sea shanties, with vivid imagery and a sense of foreboding. The use of sound effects like the rumbling of the whale's belly or the cracking of the target's fingers adds to the song's theatrical quality. The song also deals with themes of justice, fate, and the consequences of one's actions. The mariner seeking revenge ultimately ends up in the same predicament as his target, and the cycle of violence and despair seems endless.
Line by Line Meaning
We are two mariners
We are two survivors who have plunged into the sea
Our ships' sole survivors
We are the only survivors from our respective ships
In this belly of a whale
We are trapped inside the belly of a giant whale
Its ribs are ceiling beams
The whale's ribs are acting as our ceiling
Its guts are carpeting
The whale's insides have covered the floor like a carpet
I guess we have some time to kill
We are stuck in here and are left with nothing to do but wait
You may not remember me
You may have forgotten me due to our age difference
I was a child of three
I was just a little child when we first met
And you, a lad of eighteen
You were already grown up when I met you, being eighteen years old
But I remember you
I still remember you clearly, even after all these years
And I will relay to you
I am going to recite to you
How our histories interweave
I will share with you how our pasts are interconnected
At the time you were
Back then, you were
A rake and a roustabout
Someone who was careless, irresponsible and wasting his money
Spending all your money
Wasting all the wealth you had
On the whores and hounds
Spending all the money on women and pets
You had a charming air
You had a persuasive and irresistible quality about you
All cheap and debonair
Even though it was kind of unfortunate and showy because of its cheapness
My widowed mother found so sweet
My mother, being a widow, found you to be too good to resist
And so she took you in
She put you up in our house
Her sheets still warm with him
Having recently had my father sleep in the bed, the blankets were still warm
Now filled with filth and foul disease
But then you entered our lives and brought dirtiness and diseases
As time wore on you proved
Eventually, with the passage of time, it became evident that you were
A debt-ridden drunken mess
Someone who had fallen deep into debt and was an alcoholic
Leaving my mother
Leaving my mother all by herself
A poor consumptive wretch
A weak and impoverished dying individual
And then you disappeared
And then one day you just vanished
Your gambling arrears
Due to your gambling, you had some debts that remained outstanding
The only thing you left behind
The only thing that you left for us
And then the magistrate
That is when the local government officials
Reclaimed our small estate
Came to take away all that we had
And my poor mother lost her mind
My impoverished weak mother could not take the pain anymore and became insane
Then, one day in spring
One day, during the spring season
My dear sweet mother died
My sweet mother passed away
But before she did
But before that happened
I took her hand as she, dying, cried
I took her hand as she cried and died
"Find him, bind him
She said to me, 'Find him and then tie him up'
Tie him to a pole and break
Fasten him to a stick and break every single one of his fingers
His fingers to splinters
Breaking them into tiny fragments
Drag him to a hole
And then pull him towards a pit
Until he wakes up naked
Push him into the hole so that he wakes up there without any clothes on
Clawing at the ceiling of his grave"
Make him suffer so much that he will scratch the roof of his tomb
It took me fifteen years
It took me a period of fifteen years
To swallow all my tears
To come to peace with her death and not shed any tears
Among the urchins in the street
While trying to survive as a member of the homeless kids on the street
Until a priory
Until a large religious building
Took pity and hired me
Felt mercy for me and decided to offer me a job
To keep their vestry nice and neat
I was to clean the religious robes and maintain their church
But never once in the employ
Even though I was employed by these people
Of these holy men
Of this religious organization
Did I ever once turn my mind
I never once forgot or dismissed
From the thought of revenge
The idea of avenging my mother's agony and suffering
One night I overheard
One night I happened to eavesdrop
The prior exchanging words
The leader of the church speaking to somebody else
With a penitent whaler from the sea
With a fisherman who was remorseful about something and just got off his boat
The captain of his ship
The captain of the fisherman's ship
Who matched you toe to tip
Who looked and sounded just like you
Was known for wanton cruelty
Was infamous for committing terrible acts of cruelty
The following day
On the very next day
I shipped to sea with a privateer
I boarded a private ship that was about to set sail
And in the whistle of the wind
While hearing the whistle of the wind
I could almost hear
I could vaguely feel or understand
"Find him, bind him
"Tie him up and hurt him for all he's done to us
Tie him to a pole and break
Tie his hands to a stick and break all of his fingers
His fingers to splinters
Breaking each of his fingers until they turn into small fragments
Drag him to a hole
Haul him towards a pit
Until he wakes up, naked
Push him into the hole so he will wake up with nothing on
Clawing at the ceiling of his grave
Make him so afraid and anguished that he scratches and fights his way out of his tomb
There is one thing I must say to you
Before anything else, there is one message I must get across to you
As you sail across the sea
As you navigate the waters on this voyage of yours
Always, your mother will watch over you
Feel comforted that your mother will always protect you
As you avenge this wicked deed
As you punish and portray vengeance on the cruel and terrible act
And then, that fateful night
After that, a night of fate came
We had you in our sight
We had you set in our radar and whatever we used to track you down
After twenty months at sea
Having sailed for over two years
Your starboard flank abeam
Your ship was positioned at a 90-degree angle from ours
I was getting my muskets clean
I was busy cleaning my firearms
When came this rumbling from beneath
And suddenly, there was a loud sound coming from the water below
The ocean shook
The entire ocean trembled
The sky went black
The sky turned dark
And the captain quailed
And the captain shuddered with fear
And before us grew
As something massive appeared before us
The angry jaws
The furious mouth, filled with sharp teeth
Of a giant whale
Of the colossal aquatic creature
Don't know how I survived
I am clueless as to how I managed to survive
The crew all was chewed alive
The entire crew was actually eaten
I must have slipped between his teeth
I must have slipped through the gaps of its teeth
But, oh, what providence
But, oh, what kindness or care from above
What divine intelligence
What supernatural guidance or strategy
That you should survive as well as me
That you survived this scenario, much like me
It gives my heart great joy
It makes me very happy
To see your eyes fill with fear
To watch and relish in the fear in your eyes
So lean in close and I will whisper
Come near so that I can whisper something to you
The last words you'll hear
The last words that you will hear from me
Oh, oh
Ooh, ooh
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Colin Meloy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MilylovesGod
Lyrics:
We are two mariners
Our ship's sole survivors
In this belly of a whale
It's ribs our ceiling beams
It's guts our carpeting
I guess we have some time to kill
You may not remember me
I was a child of three
And you, a lad of eighteen
But, I remember you
And I will relate to you
How our histories interweave
At the time you were
A rake and a roustabout
Spending all your money
On the whores and hounds
Oh oh
You had a charming air
All cheap and debonair
My widowed mother found so sweet
And so she took you in
Her sheets still warm with him
Now filled with filth and foul disease
As time wore on you proved
A debt-ridden drunken mess
Leaving my mother
A poor consumptive wretch
Oh oh
And then you disappeared
Your gambling arrears
The only thing you left behind
And then the magistrate
Reclaimed our small estate
And my poor mother lost her mind
Then, one day in spring
My dear sweet mother died
But, before she did
I took her hand as she, dying, cried
Oh oh
Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole until he
Wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling
Of his grave
It took me fifteen years
To swallow all my tears
Among the urchins in the street
Until a priory
Took pity and hired me
To keep their vestry nice and neat
But, never once in the employ
Of these holy men
Did I ever, once turn my mind
From the thought of revenge
Oh oh
One night I overheard
The prior exchanging words
With a penitent whaler from the sea
The captain of his ship
Who matched you toe to tip
Was known for wanton cruelty
The following day, I shipped to sea
With a privateer
And in the whistle of the wind
I could almost hear
Oh oh
Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole until he
Wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling
Of his grave
There is one thing I must say to you
As you sail across the sea
Always, your mother will watch over you
As you avenge this wicked deed
And then, that fateful night
We had you in our sight
After twenty months at sea
Your starboard flank abeam
I was getting my muskets clean
When came this rumbling from beneath
The ocean shook
The sky went black and the captain quailed
And before us grew
The angry jaws of a giant whale
Oh oh
Oh
Don't know how I survived
The crew all was chewed alive
I must have slipped between his teeth
But, oh! What providence
What divine intelligence
That you should survive as well as me
It gives my heart great joy
To see your eyes fill with fear
To lean in close and I will whisper
The last words you'll hear
Oh oh
@Russia1815
So, yeah. I'm running a Pirate DND campaign and I used this song as the basis for one of my longer Quest lines. The party Were placed in a Prison in Novistar(The capital of my world) and were down on their luck when they met a half elf by the name of Arthur Callaghan(Yes that is a Reference to Red Dead Redemption 2, but he was based nothing on Arthur.)The boy was in with the Guards and eventually he managed to get the PC's out of Jail by Bribing them. He had heard of The Pc's and wanted to ask them for passage on their Ship "The Primrose" to a little known settlement Known as the Kingdom of Stronghold. They accepted, On the condition that he help about the Ship when they needed a Extra pair of hands, And since we had a Paladin of Sune, and A Cleric of Uuta aboard they agreed to take him for free, with only that stipulation.
He had proven a capable Deckhand, however he had a strange habit of looking out into the sea while the Wind whistled about them... It seemed to be strangely hypnotic for the boy. Eventually one night The Pc's would awake to Arthur manning the Helm, Not unusual, however he had a very stern look upon his face. They seemed to be bearing down upon a ship, Their Ram poised to smash the ship the splinters. Our Wizard stopped him, Using Mage hand to Yank the Wheel from his grasp, however.... We did hit something.
Going Nearly 16 Knots(18 Mph) We Smacked hard into a Whale the likes of which no one had ever seen. It was Gargantuan, Letting out a massive moan it turned and Bit the ship we were chasing in twain, before turning... And Forcing the Primrose into the same fate. The Pc's alive, as was Arthur. The group was in a uproar, screaming at one another until something caught their attention. A man coughing loudly in the corner of the Whales belly. The man looked to be in his late thirties, Scars running all along his face, But Arthur Knew....
Our Cleric Ran to heal the Man, However Arthur Shouted out, telling him to stop. Long Story Short Arthur begged the Pc's to, at least let him explain himself, and Why he intended to Murder this Man. They Agreed. The Music Began. It started as a Lonely Guitar, One Arthur Always carried with him, Vibrating softly in the Belly of the Whale, But Eventually.... Other Instruments Joined in, And even his Mother's Ghost made a Guest appearance. The Dilemma was up to the Players. Allow this man his Revenge? Or Stop him, and try to talk him out of this Killing.
Sorry, it got so Wordy. Just wanted to tell this Awesome Story.
@vineethrao30
Your average mother:
"Do not let the shadows of the past darken the rope of your future.
All you need is to make sure that you forgive it and let go of those things.
There are times when we tend to cling onto our past without realizing the fact that it is stopping us to walk ahead."
Mariner's mother:
"Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole
Until he wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling of his grave"
@vocalvortexstudios2058
"Guys how are we gonna make whale-eating-a-ship noises?"
'Don' worry mate, have the ladies scream and ill just knock some shit off the mantle'
@funk3nst3in
dishonored 1 speedrun thank you very much
@andrewcarlson3486
GENIUS
@ayla4314
Bhahaha omg I didn't notice the first time😂😂 that brought me so much joy👍
@edwardTisk-ix8nj
Just another evening,
below deck. 😂
@oshahott2532
The two women making up one character is honestly an awesome touch.
@DCGMatthew1
They've always done it like that live...
@shemesh9687
The actual woman, and the memory of her, but a shadow
@steeveewuzzheer1992
I didn’t expect that from this version. Gave me a good chill
@DaVeganZombie
It does a nice job in playing out the shrill, weak dying words, but the sound of his sweet healthy mother at the same time.
He knows he heard it in the latter... but he can so clearly put those same words to her loving voice. It’s beautiful~