While it has been confirmed that the band has officially retired, former members Alan Doyle and Séan McCann have continued performing in their own solo careers typically including music from Great Big Sea in their setlists.
The band played its first official concert on March 11, 1993, opening for The Irish Descendants at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland. The founding band members included Alan Doyle (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), Séan McCann (vocals, bodhrán, guitar, tin whistle), Darrell Power (vocals, bass, guitar, bones), and Bob Hallett (vocals, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, concertina, bouzouki, whistles, bagpipes).
Power, McCann and Hallett had already been playing together in another band. In the winter of 1989, the band, a six-piece with guitar, bass, fiddle, accordion and mandolin played its first show at the Memorial University's winter carnival talent show under the name "Newfoundland Republican Army" or NRA, and won first prize. The band's only other appearance as NRA was later that winter at the university "Grad House". The band then dropped the fiddler, accordion player and the name.
The band found its new name as original bassist Jeff Scott rented an apartment on Rankin Street, St. John's, where the members first met and discussed the formation of the band. As a four-piece, the band first appeared as "Rankin Street" at a little pub in downtown St. John's called "The Rose and Thistle", playing for $100 and beer. They played through Sean McCann's stereo system, as renting a PA would have cost more than the night's earnings. Susan Hickey (guitar and vocals) left the band months later to attend school in Halifax and was replaced by Darrell Power. The band gained much popularity playing such local pubs as Bridget's and Greensleeves. In 1991 Jeff Scott was replaced by Jackie St. Croix on bass. The band released one recording on cassette titled "Rankin Street".
In 1997, the band reached the top ten of the Canadian RPM pop chart with "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", a cover of a song by the British folk group Oysterband. They performed at the 1999 Stardust Picnic festival at Historic Fort York, Toronto.
The band won the Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. In 2001, they decided not to submit their name for nomination in order to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated for several Juno Awards, including Group of the Year in 1998, 2005, 2009, and 2011.
Darrell Power retired from Great Big Sea in 2003 to spend more time with his family and friends. Supporting members of the band include Canadian freelance drummer Kris MacFarlane (2002) (drums, accordion, guitar, backing vocals) and Murray Foster (2003, formerly of the band Moxy Früvous) (bass, backing vocals).
In late 2005, the band released its long-awaited "traditional" album, The Hard and the Easy, on which they recorded their favourite Newfoundland party songs. The title of the album comes from a line of the song "Tickle Cove Pond", one of two songs on the album about a horse falling through ice.
On June 13, 2007, the band announced they would return to the studio with producer Hawksley Workman. On March 14, 2008, the band announced that the title of the new album would be Fortune's Favour, borrowing a phrase from one of the songs on the album, "England". The album was officially released on June 24, 2008 across all of North America.
On February 23, 2010, band member Séan McCann released his debut solo album Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes to pleasing critical success.
On July 13, 2010, Great Big Sea released their new album Safe Upon the Shore in North America. Alan's "From the Road" blog on the band's website, originally confirmed its production in an April posting, speaking also of the album's subsequent release in July. "Nothing But A Song" was the first single off the bands' ninth studio recording, with a subsequent tour kicking off at the end of the summer 2010.
Great Big Sea announced a 'greatest hits' album titled "XX" in October 2012, accompanied by a 20th anniversary tour with 32 dates in 28 cities across the US and Canada which kicked off on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles and finished in St. John's on April 23, 2013.
In 2013, McCann announced that he would be leaving the band at the end of the XX tour, much to the dismay of his bandmates. Struggling to maintain his new sobriety, he told his bandmates in January of 2013 that XX would be his last tour with the band, but the rest of the band and its management refused to announce this publicly. Finally, in November 2013 with XX almost over, McCann announced his departure himself in a tweet, feeling that the fans needed to know. While largely vilified by Great Big Sea fans with little said by the band or management to counter this view, McCann claims he was devastated by how Great Big Sea ended and wishes it could have gone differently.
Following McCann's departure, the remaining band members spent a year or so trying to find an amicable way that they could continue without him. Eventually coming to the realization that they didn’t want to go on like that, and happily retiring the band.
Captain Kidd
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 shun the gates of hell
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
[Chorus]
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 did I kill
All his precious blood did spill
As I sailed
[Chorus]
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
[Chorus]
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
"Captain Kidd" is a ballad that tells the story of the notorious Scottish pirate William Kidd, who was executed in London in 1701 for piracy and murder. The song starts with Kidd introducing himself as the titular character, boasting of his own wickedness and transgressions against God's laws. He then talks about his father's attempts to make him follow the right path, but he chose to rebel instead, leaving his Bible behind and setting sail. Kidd then confesses to the murder of two men - William Moore and the gunner - and expresses some regret for his sins as he recalls being sick and promising to walk in wisdom's path. However, he soon forgets his vows and realizes that his ultimate fate will be damnation. He ends with a warning to others to shun bad company and avoid a similar fate.
The lyrics of "Captain Kidd" show the complexity of Kidd's character, painting him as both proud and remorseful, villainous and human. As a pirate, Kidd was known for his brutality, but the song suggests that he was also a man with a conscience. The mention of his father and the Bible give some insight into his background and suggest that he may have had some internal struggle with his actions.
Line by Line Meaning
My name is Captain Kidd
Introduction of the song's main character, Captain Kidd.
As I sailed, as I sailed
Captain Kidd is telling the listeners that he is sailing on his ship.
Oh my name is Captain Kidd as I sailed
Repeating the introduction of Captain Kidd along with the fact that he sails.
My name is Captain Kidd
Repeating the introduction of Captain Kidd.
And God's laws I did forbid
Captain Kidd broke religious laws.
And most wickedly I did as I sailed
Captain Kidd's actions were considered wicked and morally wrong by society.
My father taught me well
Captain Kidd had a good upbringing and was taught good morals.
To shun the gates of hell
Captain Kidd was taught to avoid sin and temptation.
But against him I rebelled as I sailed
Despite his father's teachings, Captain Kidd decided to rebel and live a life outside of good morals.
He shoved a bible in my hand
Captain Kidd received a religious book from his father.
But I left it in the sand
Captain Kidd disregarded the religious book given to him by his father.
And I pulled away from land
Captain Kidd left behind his upbringing and home to sail the seas.
I murdered William Moore
Captain Kidd killed a person named William Moore.
And I left him in his gore
Captain Kidd left William Moore's body in a bloody mess.
Twenty leagues away from shore
Captain Kidd killed William Moore and left him far away from land.
As I sailed
Reiterating that Captain Kidd is sailing on his ship.
And being crueler still, the gunner did I kill
Captain Kidd killed the gunner as well, which shows the extent of his brutality.
All his precious blood did spill
Captain Kidd killed the gunner with great violence, resulting in a lot of bloodshed.
As I sailed
Captain Kidd is still ongoing with life on his ship.
I was sick and nigh to death
Captain Kidd became ill and close to death.
And I vowed at every breath
Captain Kidd promised to live a life of good morals if he survived his illness.
Oh to walk in wisdom's path
Captain Kidd wished to live wisely and morally.
But my repentance lasted not
Captain Kidd did not follow through on his promise to live a better life.
My vows I soon forgot
Captain Kidd quickly forgot about his promise to live a better life.
Oh damnation is my lot
Captain Kidd believes that he is doomed to eternal suffering due to his actions and lack of remorse.
As I sailed
Captain Kidd is still sailing despite his realization of his own damnation.
To the execution dock
Captain Kidd is accepting that he will be executed at the dock for his crimes.
Lay my head upon the block
Captain Kidd will be executed via beheading.
Laws no more I'll mock as I sail
Captain Kidd will no longer break any laws and will no longer sail.
So take warning here and heed
Captain Kidd warns the listeners to learn from his mistakes.
To shun bad company
Captain Kidd advises the listeners to avoid people with bad morals and intentions.
Or you'll wind up just like me
Captain Kidd believes that people who associate with bad company will end up in the same situation as he did.
As I sailed
Reiterating that Captain Kidd is sailing on his ship throughout the song, despite his eventual downfall.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRAD, Alan Thomas Doyle, Robert Bruce Hallett, Shawn McCann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brad Guenther
"Captain Kidd"
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.
My father taught me well
To shun the gates of hell,
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
[Chorus]
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,
[Chorus]
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.
[Chorus]
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
Daxter la Beloutre
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.
My father taught me well
To shun the gates of hell,
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
[Chorus]
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,
[Chorus]
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.
[Chorus]
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.
osdawaya16
I'm writing a paper on Captain Kidd for a class I took this semester. This song has been running through my head almost nonstop since I started writing!
Matthew Fleming
I know its eight years later but I'm doing the same thing right now lmao
Chris Laforest
I was just watching a video that explained how he tried for years to run a vessel for the Crown but kept being stymied either by British Naval Captains who would steal his good men and give him bad ones, or by those bad sailors who mutinied his first ship because he refused to go Pirating, and later basically forced him to go Pirating under threat of mutinee.
If he had born of nobility, he would have been able to get the men he wanted, and he likely never would have pirated at all.
Kinda fascinating how history isn’t what it seems in so many cases.
Thernhuckle
"Nothing in the void is foreign to us, the place we go is the place we belong."
RIP Klaes Ashford
felipe trigo
BELTALOWDA!
Brad Guenther
"Captain Kidd"
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.
My father taught me well
To shun the gates of hell,
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
[Chorus]
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,
[Chorus]
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.
[Chorus]
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
John Coffey
Helping me with a school paper lol, thanks!
IexoPeoa
Shouldn't it be "God's laws" in the last verse? Not sure if he says that or "The laws", but there's definitely something there. In other renditions I've heard, it's "God's laws", and that fits well with the theme of the rest of the song.
howie9751
I love how Great Big Sea took a somewhat interesting folk song of verse-verse-verse, and re-wrote it in a verse-chorus format to keep it from getting dull and repetitive. It jumps out at you. The video playing up their small town roots is excellent too.
Greg Walker
No words can say how much I love this song. These guys are amazing :-D