Tyme Flyes When You're Havin' Rum
Pirates for Sail Lyrics
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No future was there in London Town for a poor man's son like me,
So I left my home and I went to seek my fortune on the sea,
I signed aboard a merchant ship out for the west indies,
And soon we would be trapped into the winds of piracy.
We spied sails on the horizon and we tried to make a run,
When those pirates boarded us they told us one by one,
"You can die or join me crew me boys,
Time flies when you're having rum!"
Time flies when you're having rum me boys,
Time flies when you're having rum,
When you're sailing under the black flag
And you're firing all your guns,
When you take a spanish treasure ship,
You divide by the rule of thumb,
Our voyage will be over soon enough,
Time flies when you're having rum,
With a pistol to my forehead,
Well my choice was all too clear,
I took leave of that merchant ship and became a buccaneer,
And though they spared my life I think that if the truth be told,
I'd join them for the promises
Of adventure, rum and gold.
The quartermaster handed me a compass and a gun,
And as I signed their articles the captain told me "Son,
Us gentlemen make a fortune living fast and on the run,
So step right up and take your share,
Time flies when you're having rum!"
Time flies when you're having rum me boys,
Time flies when you're having rum,
When you're sailing under the black flag
And you're firing all your guns,
When you take a spanish treasure ship,
You divide by the rule of thumb,
Our voyage will be over soon enough,
Time flies when you're having rum.
For two long years I sailed with them,
Across the Spanish Main,
We capture ships from Portugal,
From England, France and Spain,
We took what we could and we give 'em back,
For that's the pirate's code,
And in our wake the Caribbean Sea ran red with blood.
The admiralty in London sent a fleet to hunt us down,
A traitor in Port Royal told them where we could be found,
They surrounded us and that's when the captain shouted,
"Let 'em come! The fight will be over soon enough,
Time flies when you're having rum."
Time flies when you're having rum me boys,
Time flies when you're having rum,
When you're sailing under the black flag
And you're firing all your guns,
When you take a spanish treasure ship,
You divide by the rule of thumb,
Our voyage will be over soon enough,
Time flies when you're having rum.
We ran the red flag up and then we readied all our guns,
No quarter would be given and we turned an' speced an' done,
We got off when good broadside,
But outnumbered ten to one,
They took out half our crew,
And our piracy was done.
They took us back to London Town,
Under key and lock.
The hangman's noose was swinging from the execution dock.
The captain turned and said to me, "We had fine sailing son,
The voyage was over all too soon,
Time flies when you're having rum."
Time flies when you're having rum me boys,
Time flies when you're having rum,
When you're sailing under the black flag
And you're firing all your guns,
When you take a spanish treasure ship,
You divide by the rule of thumb,
Our voyage will be over soon enough,
Time flies when you're having rum.
Now as you've listened to this tale by know,
I'm sure you have surmised.
That I slipped the hangman's cable,
And escaped him with my life.
But how I got away,
That's another story son,
My voyaging days ain't over yet,
Time flies when you're having rum!
Time flies when you're having rum me boys,
Time flies when you're having rum,
When you're sailing under the black flag
And you're firing all your guns,
When you take a spanish treasure ship,
You divide by the rule of thumb,
Our voyage will be over soon enough,
Time flies when you're having rum.
The lyrics of "Tyme Flyes When You're Havin' Rum" by Pirates for Sail describe the journey of a young man who leaves his home in London to seek his fortune at sea. He ends up joining a merchant ship that eventually falls prey to pirates who force him to join their crew. Despite the danger and uncertainty of a life at sea, the singer relishes in the freedom, adventure, and camaraderie that comes with working amongst pirates. The chorus emphasizes the fleeting nature of time and how quickly it passes when one is enjoying oneself.
The lyrics of the song paint a vivid picture of piracy during the Golden Age of Piracy in the 17th and 18th centuries. The pirates are depicted as ruthless, cunning, and daring, ready to take whatever they want, even at the risk of their own lives. The song also touches on the pirate code, which believed in a fair division of loot and the necessity of offering no mercy to the enemy.
The chorus of the song, "Time flies when you're having rum," is a celebration of the pirate lifestyle and the idea that living life to the fullest is more important than worrying about the future. It also reflects the heavy drinking culture that was prevalent among pirates.
Line by Line Meaning
No future was there in London Town for a poor man's son like me,
As a poor man's son, there was no future for me in London Town.
So I left my home and I went to seek my fortune on the sea,
To make a life for myself, I left home and sought my fortune at sea.
I signed aboard a merchant ship out for the west indies,
I joined a merchant ship heading for the West Indies.
And soon we would be trapped into the winds of piracy.
Before long, we fell into the hands of pirates.
We spied sails on the horizon and we tried to make a run,
When we saw sails on the horizon, we attempted to escape.
The pirates raised a black flag and our running it was done,
When the pirates raised their black flag, our escape was over.
When those pirates boarded us they told us one by one,
As the pirates boarded our ship, they spoke to us individually.
"You can die or join me crew me boys,
The pirates gave us a choice: join their crew or die.
Time flies when you're having rum!"
Time passes quickly when you're enjoying rum.
With a pistol to my forehead,
With the threat of a pistol to my forehead,
Well my choice was all too clear,
The choice I had to make was obvious.
I took leave of that merchant ship and became a buccaneer,
I chose to leave the merchant ship and become a pirate.
And though they spared my life I think that if the truth be told,
Although they spared my life, the truth is that
I'd join them for the promises
I joined them because they promised
Of adventure, rum and gold.
Adventure, rum, and gold.
The quartermaster handed me a compass and a gun,
The quartermaster handed me a compass and a gun.
And as I signed their articles the captain told me "Son,
While I was signing the articles, the captain said to me:
Us gentlemen make a fortune living fast and on the run,
As pirates, we make a fortune by living fast and always on the move.
So step right up and take your share,
Come forward and claim your portion.
Time flies when you're having rum!"
Time passes quickly when you're enjoying rum.
For two long years I sailed with them,
I spent two long years sailing with the pirates.
Across the Spanish Main,
Across the Spanish Main.
We capture ships from Portugal,
We captured ships from Portugal.
From England, France and Spain,
From England, France, and Spain.
We took what we could and we give 'em back,
We took what we could and returned the rest.
For that's the pirate's code,
This was the pirate's code of conduct.
And in our wake the Caribbean Sea ran red with blood.
Our wake was marked by the blood of our victims in the Caribbean Sea.
The admiralty in London sent a fleet to hunt us down,
The admiralty in London sent a fleet to capture us.
A traitor in Port Royal told them where we could be found,
A traitor in Port Royal gave away our location.
They surrounded us and that's when the captain shouted,
They surrounded us, and the captain shouted:
"Let 'em come! The fight will be over soon enough,
"Let them come! The fight will be over soon enough,
Time flies when you're having rum."
Time passes quickly when you're enjoying rum.
We ran the red flag up and then we readied all our guns,
We raised the red flag and prepared all our weapons.
No quarter would be given and we turned an' speced an' done,
We showed no mercy and fought fiercely.
We got off when good broadside,
We had a good exchange of fire.
But outnumbered ten to one,
However, they had ten times our numbers.
They took out half our crew,
They eliminated half of our crew.
And our piracy was done.
And our days of piracy came to an end.
They took us back to London Town,
They brought us back to London Town.
Under key and lock.
Under lock and key.
The hangman's noose was swinging from the execution dock.
The hangman's noose awaited us at the execution dock.
The captain turned and said to me, "We had fine sailing son,
The captain said to me:
The voyage was over all too soon,
The voyage ended too soon.
Time flies when you're having rum."
Time passes quickly when you're enjoying rum.
Now as you've listened to this tale by know,
As you've heard this story by now,
I'm sure you have surmised.
I'm sure you've figured out.
That I slipped the hangman's cable,
That I managed to avoid the hangman's noose.
And escaped him with my life.
And escaped with my life.
But how I got away,
But how I managed to escape
That's another story son,
Is a story for another time.
My voyaging days ain't over yet,
My days of traveling are not yet done.
Time flies when you're having rum!"
Time passes quickly when you're enjoying rum.
Contributed by Katherine S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.