Captain Nipper
The Foc'sle Singers Lyrics
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How well I do remember—
It nearly broke my poor old mother's heart,
For I shipped with Captain Nipper
In a big four-masted clipper
Bound away down south for foreign parts.
And the wind began to blow,
And the devil of a hurricane did blow—oh, my, oh!
It nearly knocked the stuffin′
From the good ship Ragamuffin,
And we thought to the bottom we should go.
Then we hoisted up our anchor,
And we set our jib an' spanker,
And the pilot took us to the harbor's mouth.
Then from the tug we parted,
And on our voyage started,
With a compass headed east-nor′west by south.
And the wind began to blow,
And the ship began to roll,
And the devil of a hurricane did blow—oh, my, oh!
It nearly knocked the stuffin′
From the good ship Ragamuffin,
And we thought to the bottom we should go.
Then there came a good stiff breeze
That made the old man sneeze,
And carried away the sails on ev'ry hand,
And for seven long days we bore′t,
While runnin' right afore′t,
Thinkin' we would never see the land.
And the wind began to blow,
And the ship began to roll,
And the devil of a hurricane did blow—oh, my, oh!
It nearly knocked the stuffin′
From the good ship Ragamuffin,
And we thought to the bottom we should go.
But the ship got caught aback,
And the stays began to crack,
And the fore-gallant-fores'ls carried away,
So we pulled the helm over,
And headed straight for Dover,
And at last we anchored safe within the bay.
The Foc'sle Singers' song "Captain Nipper" tells the story of a sailor who ships with Captain Nipper on a four-masted clipper bound for foreign parts. The sailor's departure nearly breaks his mother's heart, but they set sail nonetheless. The weather is tumultuous, with a hurricane nearly capsizing the ship, causing the crew to believe they would sink to the bottom of the ocean. However, they persevere and continue on their voyage, navigating through the wind and waves until they reach their destination. Although they encounter several mishaps and difficulties along the way, the sailor and his crewmates eventually reach Dover and safely anchor in the bay.
The song highlights the hardships and dangers of life at sea while also portraying the resilience and determination of sailors. The sailor's willingness to brave the uncertain waters and face the stormy conditions emphasizes the bravery of seafarers, who must be prepared to face any challenge that comes their way in order to complete their journey.
Line by Line Meaning
′Twas the fifteenth of September—
The date was September 15th
How well I do remember—
I remember it vividly
It nearly broke my poor old mother's heart,
My mother was very upset about me leaving
For I shipped with Captain Nipper
I joined the crew under the leadership of Captain Nipper
In a big four-masted clipper
We sailed on a large ship with four masts
Bound away down south for foreign parts.
We were sailing south to foreign lands
And the wind began to blow,
The wind started to pick up
And the ship began to roll,
The ship started to rock back and forth
And the devil of a hurricane did blow—oh, my, oh!
A large hurricane came and caused trouble
It nearly knocked the stuffin′
The storm caused significant damage
From the good ship Ragamuffin,
Our ship, Ragamuffin, was hit hard
And we thought to the bottom we should go.
We thought we were going to sink to the bottom of the ocean
Then we hoisted up our anchor,
We lifted our anchor
And we set our jib an' spanker,
We adjusted our sails
And the pilot took us to the harbor's mouth.
A pilot helped guide us out of the harbor
Then from the tug we parted,
We left the tugboat that had been assisting us
And on our voyage started,
We began our journey
With a compass headed east-nor′west by south.
We used a compass to sail in a specific direction
Then there came a good stiff breeze
A strong, favorable wind appeared
That made the old man sneeze,
The wind was so strong it made someone sneeze
And carried away the sails on ev'ry hand,
The wind was so strong it damaged our sails
And for seven long days we bore′t,
We sailed for seven days straight
While runnin' right afore't,
We sailed directly into the wind
Thinkin' we would never see the land.
We were worried we would never reach land
But the ship got caught aback,
The ship got turned around by the wind
And the stays began to crack,
The supports on the ship started to break
And the fore-gallant-fores'ls carried away,
More sails were damaged
So we pulled the helm over,
We adjusted the steering mechanism
And headed straight for Dover,
We sailed directly to the port of Dover
And at last we anchored safe within the bay.
We finally arrived safely and anchored in the bay
Contributed by Camilla K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.