The Derelict
Jolly Rogers Lyrics

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest
There were 15 men on a chest that belonged to a dead person.

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drinking rum was a common occurrence throughout the experience.

Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Drinking led to the downfall of the other men.

The mate was fixed by the bosun's pike
The mate was held down by a tool called a bosun's pike.

The bosun brained with a marlinspike
The bosun was killed with a tool called a marlinspike.

And cookey's throat was marked belike
The cook's throat was marked, possibly by strangulation.

It had been gripped by fingers ten
The cook was possibly strangled by someone with ten fingers.

And there they lay, all good dead men
All of the men mentioned before were dead and motionless.

Like break o'day in a boozing ken
The scene resembled a bar at daybreak after a long night of drinking.

Fifteen men of 'em good and true
The 15 men were genuine and trustworthy.

Ev'ry man jack could ha' sailed with Old Pew
Every man had the potential to sail with Old Pew, a notorious pirate.

There was chest on chest full of Spanish gold
There were multiple chests filled with valuable Spanish gold.

With a ton of plate in the middle hold
In the center of the cargo hold was a ton of silver plates.

And the cabins riot of loot untold
The cabins were full of items that were stolen or looted.

And they lay there that took the plum
The people who took the valuable items were also dead and motionless.

With sightless glare and their lips struck dumb
The dead men had an expressionless face and couldn't utter a word.

While we shared all by the rule of thumb
The remaining living people divided the loot equally using an informal method.

More was seen through a sternlight screen
More could be seen through a screen on the sternlight (rear of the ship).

Charting no doubt where a woman had been
The people were able to see where a woman had been through the chart.

A flimsy shift on a bunker cot
A thin clothing item was found on a bed in the bunker.

With a thin dirk slot through the bosom spot
There was an incision on the chest, possibly from a knife.

And the lace stiff dry in a purplish blot
There was dried blood on the lace of the clothing item.

Oh was she wench some shuddering maid
The person who wore the clothing item could have been a trembling young woman.

That dared the knife and took the blade
The woman may have dared to use a knife on herself.

By God, she was stuff for a plucky jade
Despite her fate, the woman was a brave soul.

We wrapped 'em all in a mains'l tight
The dead men were securely wrapped in a sail.

With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight
Rope was used to tie the sail tightly around the dead men.

And we heaved 'em over and out of sight
The wrapped dead men were thrown overboard.

With a Yo-Heave-Ho! and a fare you-well
With a cheer and a farewell, the dead men were disposed of.

And a sudden plunge in the sullen swell
The wrapped dead men quickly sank into the dark, gloomy ocean.

Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell
The dead men were sent to the bottom of the ocean on their way to hell.