The Trinity Session is perhaps their best known record, recorded live in a single day on a single microphone in a church in Toronto. This album also included a unique cover version of Lou Reed's "Sweet Jane". Reed reportedly liked the Junkies' version of the song better than his own, and began performing their version in concert.
None of the band's subsequent albums have been hits outside of Canada, although the band has maintained a dedicated following and have continued to have chart hits in their native country. Following their 1998 album Miles from Our Home, Cowboy Junkies were dropped from their major label contract. They have continued to release albums on their own independent label, Latent Records.
Captain Kidd
Cowboy Junkies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I sailed, as I sailed,
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd
And God's laws I did forbid,
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
My father taught me well
But against him I rebelled as I sailed,
He shoved a bible in my hand
But I left it in the sand
And I pulled away from land,
As I sailed
My name is Captain Kidd
As I sailed, as I sailed,
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd
And God's laws I did forbid,
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
I murdered William Moore
And I left him in his gore
Twenty leagues away from shore
As I sailed,
And being crueler still, the gunner I did kill
All his precious blood did spill,
As I sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd
As I sailed, as I sailed,
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd
And God's laws I did forbid,
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
I was sick and nigh to death,
And I vowed at every breath,
Oh to walk in wisdom's path,
As I sailed
But my repentance lasted not,
My vows I soon forgot,
Oh damnation is my lot,
As I sailed.
My name is Captain Kidd
As I sailed, as I sailed,
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd
And God's laws I did forbid,
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
To the execution dock
Lay my head upon the block,
Laws no more I'll mock as I sail,
So take warning here and heed
To shun bad company
Or you'll wind up just like me
As I sailed.
My name is Captain Kidd
As I sailed, as I sailed,
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd
And God's laws I did forbid,
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
The lyrics to "Captain Kidd" by Cowboy Junkies tell the story of the infamous pirate, William Kidd. The first verse introduces the singer, who carelessly disregards God's laws and commits wicked deeds as he sails. The second verse tells of Kidd's upbringing, where his father tried to teach him to avoid hell but failed to deter him. Instead, Kidd rebels and sets sail without a bible his father had handed down to him.
The chorus repeats the line, "My name is Captain Kidd, and God's laws I did forbid, and most wickedly I did as I sailed," emphasizing Kidd's defiance of the laws of both man and God. The following verses describe the murders that Kidd commits, the first being of a man named William Moore, and the second being the gunner, whose spilled blood highlights Kidd's cruelty. As the lyrics progress, Kidd becomes ill and briefly repents, vowing to walk with wisdom, but ultimately falls back into his sinful ways.
The final verse portrays Kidd accepting his fate, being led to the execution dock where he lays his head upon the block. The song ends with a warning to "shun bad company" or risk ending up "just like me [Kidd]."
Line by Line Meaning
My name is Captain Kidd
Captain Kidd is the name I go by
As I sailed, as I sailed,
I traveled across the sea
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed,
I was Captain Kidd as I sailed across the sea
My name is Captain Kidd
Captain Kidd is the name I go by
And God's laws I did forbid,
I disobeyed the laws of God
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
I committed many wicked acts as I sailed
My father taught me well
My father taught me right from wrong
To shun the gates of hell,
To avoid evil and temptation
But against him I rebelled as I sailed,
I went against his teachings while traveling across the sea
He shoved a bible in my hand
He gave me a bible to guide me
But I left it in the sand
But I disregarded it and left it behind
And I pulled away from land,
And I left land behind as I sailed
My name is Captain Kidd
Captain Kidd is the name I go by
And God's laws I did forbid,
I disobeyed the laws of God
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
I committed many wicked acts as I sailed
I murdered William Moore
I killed William Moore
And I left him in his gore
And I left his corpse in a bloody mess
Twenty leagues away from shore
Twenty leagues away from land
As I sailed,
While I was traveling across the sea
And being crueler still, the gunner I did kill
And to make matters worse, I killed the gunner
All his precious blood did spill,
And I spilled all of his precious blood
As I sailed,
While I was traveling across the sea
My name is Captain Kidd
Captain Kidd is the name I go by
And God's laws I did forbid,
I disobeyed the laws of God
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
I committed many wicked acts as I sailed
I was sick and nigh to death,
I was sick and close to death
And I vowed at every breath,
And I promised with every breath
Oh to walk in wisdom's path,
To live a wise and good life
As I sailed
While I was traveling across the sea
But my repentance lasted not,
But I did not stay true to my promise to be good
My vows I soon forgot,
I quickly forgot about my promises
Oh damnation is my lot,
I am damned to punishment for my sins
As I sailed.
While I was traveling across the sea
My name is Captain Kidd
Captain Kidd is the name I go by
And God's laws I did forbid,
I disobeyed the laws of God
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
I committed many wicked acts as I sailed
To the execution dock
To the place of execution
Lay my head upon the block,
Put my head on the executioner's block
Laws no more I'll mock as I sail,
I will no longer disobey the law as I travel across the sea
So take warning here and heed
So listen and pay attention
To shun bad company
To avoid being with bad people
Or you'll wind up just like me
Or you will end up like me
As I sailed.
While I was traveling across the sea
My name is Captain Kidd
Captain Kidd is the name I go by
And God's laws I did forbid,
I disobeyed the laws of God
And most wickedly I did as I sailed.
I committed many wicked acts as I sailed
Contributed by Adam D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Richard Diamond
Classic Junkies.. Still a great sound...