The First is from … Read Full Bio ↴There are 5 bands with the name The Jolly Rogers.
The First is from North Carolina. They have recorded on the John Lennon bus. They released their first abum "Under The Sombrero" on April 20 2007. They are no longer active.
The second is a ska band from Hamilton, Ontario formed mostly by students and ex-students of Westmount and Hill Park secondary schools. The band became locally huge to an extent that hadn't been seen for a ska band in the Hamilton area since the Wisties. On February 20, 2006, the sax player of the band died and the band hasn't played any shows since. The website of this band is http://thejollyrogers.ca/.
The third is a pirate-themed folk group that plays at Renaissance festivals. Their high-energy performances of traditional sea shanties, humorous songs and improvisational comedy skits are big crowd pleasers where ever they go. http://www.chivalry.com/jollyrogers/
The fourth is now known as Oh No! Oh My! http://www.last.fm/music/Oh+No%21+Oh+My%21
The last, but not least, is a high school 4-piece from suburban Washington, DC that plays power-punk-pop, with influences like blink-182 and mxpx among others, but with impactful songwriting to keep it fresh.
http://www.myspace.com/jollyrogerspunx
The Devil's Reach
The Jolly Rogers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And Carolinas they got Teach,
And in the channel of Kingston Bay
We got a ship called the Devil's Reach.
She had forty seven cannon,
On deck they had 14 guns,
And at the wheel was Big Tom Cutter,
The locals all new better,
They all knew to stay away.
And if you passed and listen close,
You could have heard them say:
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
And you know you're gonna pay!
From Brighton sailed a gunship,
And with them sailed four more.
Said, "We're sailin' down to Kingston bay,
Gonna settle us a score!"
The ships they were all loaded.
And they were searching for their prize.
They'd collect the bounty on the Devil's Reach
And cut big Tom down to size.
The sun it was a setting.
When they slunk into the bay,
And in the dark felt their skin crawl,
As they heard the locals say:
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
And you know you're gonna pay!
Well the five ships they were ready,
Just waiting for first light.
With a single shot knew they'd been caught,
And the Reach began the fight.
It was a moonless night in august.
And darkness filled that bay.
But the cannon fire from those tall ships,
Turned that dark night into day.
Now the Reach it was surrounded.
There was surely no way out.
But who was trapped became quite clear,
When they heard Tom Cutter shout:
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
And you know you're gonna pay!
After dawn the Reach it broke off,
Turned slowly towards the shore.
That gun ship slipped beneath the waves,
Where it joined the other four.
Her sails were ripped and shredded,
Her mast just shards of wood,
And on that shattered, burning deck,
Big Tom Cutter stood.
He steered her toward the nearest shore,
Not sure if he'd succeed.
But there it sits this very day,
With a wooden sign that reads:
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
And you know you're gonna pay
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
And you know you're gonna pay!
In The Jolly Rogers’ song The Devil’s Reach, the lyrics describe the power of a ship called the Devil's Reach through its forty seven cannons and fourteen guns. The ship was captained by Big Tom Cutter, who was known to be the bastard son of a noble. The locals knew to stay away from the Reach, warning others that they would own the bay and they were unstoppable. A group of five ships from Brighton arrived with the intention of capturing the Reach, but the battle was intense and led to the sinking of four of the attacking ships. While the Reach was heavily damaged, it made it to the shore, where it remains as a reminder of its power and strength.
The lyrics describe the power dynamics of naval battles and the consequences of underestimating one's opponent. The Reach is depicted as an unbeatable force, especially with Tom Cutter at the wheel, and the attacking ships from Brighton failed to forecast the outcome of their attack. The song reflects the resilience of the crew even in the face of destruction, with Cutter taking the Reach to the shore in a move of strength and honor.
Line by Line Meaning
Port Royale they got Morgan,
Port Royale had Captain Henry Morgan, a well-known pirate.
And Carolinas they got Teach,
The Carolinas had Edward Teach, also known as Blackbeard, another well-known pirate.
And in the channel of Kingston Bay
In Kingston Bay's narrow passage, near Jamaica.
We got a ship called the Devil's Reach.
The Jolly Roger pirate crew had a ship named Devil's Reach, which was feared by the locals.
She had forty seven cannon,
The Devil's Reach had 47 cannons on board.
On deck they had 14 guns,
The crew had 14 guns on the deck of the ship.
And at the wheel was Big Tom Cutter,
Big Tom Cutter was steering the ship.
Who was a noble's bastard son.
Big Tom Cutter was the illegitimate son of a nobleman.
The locals all new [sic] better,
The locals knew to stay away from the Devil's Reach.
They all knew to stay away.
The locals avoided the Devil's Reach due to its notorious reputation.
And if you passed and listen [sic] close,
If you listened carefully as you passed by the Devil's Reach,
You could have heard them say:
You would hear them warning others about the ship.
You should have turned back sooner
If you encounter the Devil's Reach, you should have turned back earlier to avoid trouble.
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
The Devil's Reach controls the Kingston bay area.
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
You cannot outrun or overpower the Devil's Reach.
And you know you're gonna pay!
If you face the Devil's Reach, you will face consequences.
From Brighton sailed a gunship,
A gunship set sail from Brighton.
And with them sailed four more.
Four more ships sailed with the gunship toward the Devil's Reach.
Said, "We're sailin' down to Kingston bay,
They planned to go to Kingston bay to capture the Devil's Reach.
Gonna settle us a score!"
They planned to seek revenge for the damage caused by the Devil's Reach.
The ships they were all loaded.
The ships were loaded with weapons and equipment for capturing the Devil's Reach.
And they were searching for their prize.
They were searching for the Devil's Reach as their ultimate target.
They'd collect the bounty on the Devil's Reach
They hoped to collect the reward for capturing the Devil's Reach.
And cut big Tom down to size.
They also wanted to defeat Big Tom Cutter.
The sun it was a setting.
The sun was setting as they entered the bay.
When they slunk into the bay,
They quietly entered the bay area.
And in the dark felt their skin crawl,
They were intimidated by the dark and eerie atmosphere in the bay.
As they heard the locals say:
The warning from the locals made them more nervous.
Well the five ships they were ready,
The five ships were prepared for battle.
Just waiting for first light.
They were waiting for daylight to begin the battle.
With a single shot knew they'd been caught,
With just one shot, they realized they were no match for the Devil's Reach.
And the Reach began the fight.
The Devil's Reach started the battle and attacked the five ships.
It was a moonless night in august.
The battle took place on a dark, moonless night in August.
And darkness filled that bay.
It was very dark in the Kingston bay area.
But the cannon fire from those tall ships,
Despite the darkness, the cannon fire from the five ships illuminated the area.
Turned that dark night into day.
The cannon fire was so bright that it turned the dark night into daylight.
Now the Reach it was surrounded.
The Devil's Reach was surrounded by the enemy ships.
There was surely no way out.
There seemed to be no escape for the Devil's Reach.
But who was trapped became quite clear,
It became clear that Big Tom Cutter and his crew were trapped on the Devil's Reach.
When they heard Tom Cutter shout:
Big Tom Cutter shouted during the battle.
After dawn the Reach it broke off,
When dawn broke, the Devil's Reach escaped from the enemy ships.
Turned slowly towards the shore.
The Devil's Reach slowly sailed toward the shore.
That gun ship slipped beneath the waves,
One of the enemy ships sank.
Where it joined the other four.
It joined the other four enemy ships that were defeated by the Devil's Reach.
Her sails were ripped and shredded,
The Devil's Reach suffered damage in the battle.
Her mast just shards of wood,
Her mast was broken and shattered.
And on that shattered, burning deck,
The Devil's Reach's deck was damaged and on fire.
Big Tom Cutter stood.
Big Tom Cutter kept steering the Devil's Reach.
He steered her toward the nearest shore,
Big Tom Cutter sailed the Devil's Reach toward the nearest shore.
Not sure if he'd succeed.
He didn't know if he could make it to the shore with a damaged ship.
But there it sits this very day,
The Devil's Reach still rests where it sank.
With a wooden sign that reads:
A wooden sign warns others about the Devil's Reach.
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
Just like before, the sign warns that you cannot outrun or overpower the Devil's Reach.
And you know you're gonna pay!
If you challenge the Devil's Reach, you will face severe consequences.
And you can't out run her and you can't outgun her
The warning is repeated to emphasize the danger of facing the Devil's Reach.
And you know you're gonna pay!
The final warning reiterates that challenging the Devil's Reach will have severe consequences.
Writer(s): The Jolly Rogers
Contributed by Camden H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@CrystalTeacup
The locals all knew better,
They knew to come on here
And if you passed and listen close,
You could have heard them say:
You should have some here sooner
Cause the Rogers own this place
And you can't outdance 'em and you can't outsing 'em
And you know you're gonna stay!
A great song, as always! I raise me bottle of rum on ya!
@Ranmafan1012
I have just completed a D&D arc that was all about Pirates, featuring "Big Tom Cutter" as an ambiguous villain/ally that helped the part retrieve a crucial treasure, only to betray them to regain The Devils Reach from the deeps!
YOU ARE ESSENTIAL PIRATE MUSIC FOR ANY GAME/CONVENTION PEOPLE GO TO
@TheJollyRogers
Big Tom Cutter shall never die!!! 😁
@creeper326.
This is probably my favourite song about anything related to the sea I've ever heard. Thank you lads!
@viper1456
“Port Royale they got Morgan”
Love the reference
@bladetheelectrowolf1554
Now the reaaaaal match for the ages. Big Tom Cutter Verse Davy Jones. Who would be the most unbeatable pirate to ever live!!!
@bladetheelectrowolf1554
I could imagine it. Davy jones and the Flying Dutchman start coming but are shocked to see their “pray” the devils reach charge head odd with the captain Big Tom Cutter singing this the entire time with the biggest smile on his face. I honestly bet Davy jones would respect this might captain and give him the greatest fight of their lives!!!!
@TheJollyRogers
Love this!!!
@DeltaGeekTanyanNerdsRule
Honestly one of my favorite songs. Such a great tune.
@davidpuddicombe7359
You know it’s good when people start coming up with reasons for how Big Tom Cutter actually exists
@TheJollyRogers
Oh, no, David. You can't tell us that Big Tom Cutter doesn't exist. We KNOW he exists! He wears a big red suit and comes once a year to deliver presents to all the good boys and girls.
...right?