Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn Lyrics


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The sun came up on the Spanish sea
Our homeland far behind us
Being junted by the King's Navy
It's sure he'd never find us
Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
And hoist the Jolly Roger

We brought her into the looward wind
And made for the Caribbean
For thoughts of what it might have been
Destroys a human bein'

But thoughts about the Spaniards' gold
And learnin' to desire it
Can make a man so brash and bold
He'll soon become a pirate
Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
And hoist the Jolly Roger

Now a gleam came into the Captain's eyes
As he spied an English clipper
"She looks the perfect shape and size
Let's all aboard and strip her"

We fired a shot across her bow
And eased ourselves beside her
With our keels as close as she'd allow
We swung from the deck to ride her
Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
And hoist the Jolly Roger

Up she stumbles and starts to pitch
And signals for assistance
We tightened our hold another hitch
And ended her resistance

Now there's many a day on the Spanish sea
I served aboard that raider
But we never did nothing more beautifully
Than the way that we belayed her
Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
And hoist the Jolly Roger

Her hold was hot as St.Elmo's fire
Her chests were filled with treasure
We took as much as we'd require
Then took more for our pleasure

Now there's many a day on the Spanish Main
But none I hold so dear
As the happy day I first became
A scurvy buccaneer




Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
And hoist the Jolly Roger

Overall Meaning

The song "Roger McGuinn" is a tale of piracy and adventure on the seas. The song describes a group of pirates aboard the ship Cardiff Rose, as they sail away from their homeland and set out to pillage and plunder the Spanish seas. The lyrics describe the thrill and danger of being a pirate, with lines like "thoughts of what it might have been destroys a human bein'" and "thoughts about the Spaniards' gold and learnin' to desire it can make a man so brash and bold he'll soon become a pirate." Despite the dangers of their lifestyle, the pirates are portrayed as enjoying their wild and free existence.


The song also recounts a specific pirate raid where the pirates board an English clipper, "signals for assistance" and "ended her resistance." The captain's excitement at spotting the clipper shows how the pirates see themselves as free spirits, unconstrained by the laws of any one country. The song ends with the singer reminiscing about his days as a pirate, saying "none I hold so dear as the happy day I first became a scurvy buccaneer." The song ultimately romanticizes the pirate's way of life, providing a glimpse into the appeal of piracy in the popular imagination.


Line by Line Meaning

The sun came up on the Spanish sea
The sun rose on the sea in Spain


Our homeland far behind us
We left our country far away


Being junted by the King's Navy
The king's navy was chasing us


It's sure he'd never find us
We thought we could hide from them


Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
Let's leave, my friends on the ship called Cardiff Rose


And hoist the Jolly Roger
Let's raise the pirate flag


We brought her into the looward wind
We turned the ship to face the opposite direction of the wind


And made for the Caribbean
We sailed to the Caribbean


For thoughts of what it might have been
Thinking about what could have happened in the past


Destroys a human bein'
Can ruin a person's life


But thoughts about the Spaniards' gold
But thinking about the riches of the Spanish people


And learnin' to desire it
And learning to want it


Can make a man so brash and bold
Can make someone very daring


He'll soon become a pirate
And they might soon become a pirate


Now a gleam came into the Captain's eyes
The captain's eyes lit up


As he spied an English clipper
When he saw an English ship


"She looks the perfect shape and size
"The ship looks like it's the perfect size


Let's all aboard and strip her"
Let's board it and take everything valuable


We fired a shot across her bow
We shot near the front of the ship


And eased ourselves beside her
We moved the ship closer to it


With our keels as close as she'd allow
We got as close as possible


We swung from the deck to ride her
We jumped from our ship to the other vessel


Up she stumbles and starts to pitch
The ship started moving and shaking


And signals for assistance
And sent a signal for help


We tightened our hold another hitch
We held on tighter and stronger


And ended her resistance
And made them stop fighting us


Now there's many a day on the Spanish sea
We spent many days on the sea in Spain


I served aboard that raider
I was on that pirate ship


But we never did nothing more beautifully
But we never did anything more elegantly


Than the way that we belayed her
Than the way we captured the ship


Her hold was hot as St.Elmo's fire
The room where they stored the treasure was very hot


Her chests were filled with treasure
The treasure boxes were full


We took as much as we'd require
We took as much as we needed


Then took more for our pleasure
Then took more just for the sake of it


Now there's many a day on the Spanish Main
We spent many days on the sea in the Caribbean


But none I hold so dear
But none are as important to me


As the happy day I first became
As the day I first became


A scurvy buccaneer
A pirate with many illnesses


Pull away, me lads o' the Cardiff Rose
Let's leave, my friends on the ship called Cardiff Rose


And hoist the Jolly Roger
And let's raise the pirate flag




Contributed by Logan S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@rossgill7462

One of those signature opening guitar riffs that sends shivers up your spine.

@charmicarmicat2981

Ross Gill it really is.

@alexr.3919

so true.

@justanotherperson584

Still

@AnnaZombi

I dunno I feel like he would rather be doing another song.

@oliviercalmel2

Ross Gill like on Mr Tambourine man

9 More Replies...

@ShipwreckTownBand

Absolute magic. Roger has not lost a step. The delight of Springsteen and Miami Steve throughout, but especially when Roger nails the solo, is palpable. Springsteen's harmonies couldn't be more beautiful. Is there anything this man can't do?!? PS to fosbury68: Max's drumming, especially the cymbal work, was perfect. What do you want- Billy Cobham?

@direwolf6234

absolutely ... the crown work on the cymbals was killer ...

@dannilaser16

Holy crap! Just found this gem.
Bruce, I’ve always been impressed by talent, but now,I’m even more so.Roger has always been a superstar, but I’m so glad to hear two of my favorite singers get together for this incredible song.
Congrats!

@montemichelbleu

Stunning. The respect given to McGuinn (and reverence for The Byrds) is so apparent. They truly played this as a back-up band. Tore me up. Wow....

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