The word "Muppet" itself was said by Henson to have been created by combining the words "marionette" and "puppet"; however, Henson was also known to have stated that it was just something he liked the sound of, and he made up the "marionette/puppet" story while talking to a journalist because it sounded plausible.
Muppets are distinguished from ventriloquist "dummies", which are typically animated only in the head and face, in that their arms or other features are also mobile and expressive. Muppets are typically made of softer materials. They are also presented as being independent of the puppeteer, who is usually not visible, hidden behind a set or outside of the camera frame.
Shiver My Timbers
The Muppets Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yo oh heave ho
There are men whose hearts as as black as coal
Yo oh heave ho
And they sailed their ship cross the ocean blue
A blood-thirsty captain and a cut-throat crew
Of the lust for treasure and the love of gold
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides
Yo oh heave ho
There are hungers as strong as the wind and tides
Yo oh heave ho
And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum
The devil himself would have to call them scum
Every man aboard would have killed his mate
For a bag of guineas or a piece of eight
A piece of eight
A piece of eight
Five, six, seven, eight
Hulla wacka ulla wacka something not right
Many wicked icky things gonna happen tonight
Hulla wacka ulla wacka sailor man beware
When de money in the ground dere's murder in de air
Murder in de air
One more time now
Shiver my timbers, shiver my bones
Yo oh heave ho
There are secrets that sleep with old Davy Jones
Yo oh heave ho
When the mainsail's set and the anchor's weighed
There's no turning back from any course that's laid
And when greed and villainy sail the sea
You can bet your boots there'll be treachery
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails
Dead men tell no tales
The Muppets' song - Shiver my Timbers - is a sea shanty that talks about the lives of pirates and their evil ways. The opening line, "Shiver my Timbers, Shiver my soul," is a common phrase in pirate folklore that means to be afraid or scared out of one's wits. The next lines, "There are men whose hearts as black as coal," describes the men and the crew of the ship that the pirates sailed. The line suggests that these people have no soul and are driven by their greed and lust for treasure.
As the song progresses, it narrates how the pirates drowned their sins in rum and talks about how every man on board could have killed his mate for a piece of eight or a bag of guineas. The song tells the listener about the wicked, immoral acts that occur amongst pirates, and how they always seem to be on the lookout for treasure, even if it means betraying their mates.
The song paints a very dark picture of pirate life, with lines like "And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum, the devil himself would have to call them scum." The song ends on an ominous tone with the line, "When greed and villainy sail the sea, you can bet your boots there'll be treachery," indicating that there is no silver lining to the pirate life.
Line by Line Meaning
Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul
Expressing fear or anxiety, such as the fear of the unknown or the supernatural
Yo oh heave ho
Cheerful or spirited chant used to increase unity and teamwork while performing a physical task
There are men whose hearts as as black as coal
Referring to individuals who are thought to be evil, cruel, or immoral
And they sailed their ship cross the ocean blue
A group of individuals embarked on a journey across the vast ocean waters
A blood-thirsty captain and a cut-throat crew
Describing the wicked and violent nature of those in charge and those who follow
It's as dark a tale as was ever told
Refers to the grim and somber nature of the story being told
Of the lust for treasure and the love of gold
Reflects the theme of greed that perpetuates throughout the song
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides
Continuing the expression of fear or anxiety
There are hungers as strong as the wind and tides
Describing the intense cravings or desires that people have
And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum
Referencing the use of alcohol to numb one's conscience or to escape reality
The devil himself would have to call them scum
Expressing the repulsive and wicked nature of these individuals
Every man aboard would have killed his mate
Describing the cutthroat and violent environment on board the ship
For a bag of guineas or a piece of eight
A reference to the monetary rewards of piracy
Hulla wacka ulla wacka something not right
A warning of impending doom or negative outcomes
Many wicked icky things gonna happen tonight
Indicating the certainty of negative and evil events occurring
Hulla wacka ulla wacka sailor man beware
Reinforcement of the warning to sailors to be careful and avoid danger
When de money in the ground dere's murder in de air
Reflects the idea that greed and violence often go hand in hand
There are secrets that sleep with old Davy Jones
Referring to the mysterious and unknown aspects of the sea and its dangers
When the mainsail's set and the anchor's weighed
Referring to the point of no return when a journey has begun and there is no going back
There's no turning back from any course that's laid
Continuing the idea of the impossibility of reverse actions
And when greed and villainy sail the sea
Referring to the dangers that arise when those with malicious intent are at the helm
You can bet your boots there'll be treachery
Expressing the certainty of betrayal or deceit in such environments
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails
Repetition of the earlier expression of fear or anxiety
Dead men tell no tales
The idea that anyone who knows the truth of the situation is in danger of being killed, so there will be no witnesses left to reveal the secrets
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: MANN, WEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
thesalanian
Seriously, some of these lyrics are legit total fire.
Shiver My Timbers, Shiver My Soul
Yo Ho Heave Ho
There are men who's hearts as black as coal
Yo Ho Heave Ho.
Really powerful opening, the mood is impeccable. I just love how the first statement isn't about treasure, or the sea. It's about the evil of man and his willingness to eat himself.
It's a dark a tale as was ever told
Of a lust for treasure and a love of gold...
I love this line, because it's basically saying that this is just one of a million stories just like it. But this one is the best.
Shiver My Timbers, Shiver my sides
Yo ho heave ho
There are hungers as strong as the winds and tides
Yo ho heave ho
I freaking love this line, again, I just love the fact that it's just telling you matter-of-fact that men can be evil, and not just evil, but powerful.
And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum,
The devil himself would have to call'em scum!
Every man aboard would have killed his mate,
for a bag of ginnies or a piece-of-eight.
Just gorgeous imagery, the sight of these miserable salty pirates quietly murmuring, brutal bloody souls begrudgingly working with each other each with the intention of betraying everyone around him.
Sailormen beware,
when there's money in the ground,
there's murder in the air.
Again, I just love the simplicity of this line, heralding what's about to come.
When the main sail's in and the anchors weighed
there's no turning back from any course that's laid,
and when greed and villainy sail the sea,
you can bet your boots there'll be treachery.
And at last, we have a final warning about the inevitable destiny of those who live by the sword. There's no turning back.
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails,
dead men tell no tails.
and then we switch to Flint's pov, like he himself is relishing in his own deeds, such a scoundrel.
Mikl Pickle
Shiver my timbers, shiver my soul
Yo oh heave ho
There are men whose hearts as as black as coal
Yo oh heave ho
And they sailed their ship cross the ocean blue
A blood-thirsty captain and a cut-throat crew
It's as dark a tale as was ever told
Of the lust for treasure and the love of gold
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sides
Yo oh heave ho
There are hungers as strong as the wind and tides
Yo oh heave ho
And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum
The devil himself would have to call them scum
Every man aboard would have killed his mate
For a bag of guineas or a piece of eight
A piece of eight
A piece of eight
Five, six, seven, eight
Hulla wacka ulla wacka something not right
Many wicked icky things gonna happen tonight
Hulla wacka ulla wacka sailor man beware
When de money in the ground dere's murder in de air
Murder in de air
One more time now
Shiver my timbers, shiver my bones
Yo oh heave ho
There are secrets that sleep with old Davy Jones
Yo oh heave ho
When the mainsail's set and the anchor's weighed
There's no turning back from any course that's laid
And when greed and villainy sail the sea
You can bet your boots there'll be treachery
Shiver my timbers, shiver my sails
Dead men tell no tales
Mike Dubo
Especially with how some of their villains get bumped off:
Evil Queen gets crushed by a boulder.
Maleficent gets stabbed in the heart.
Ratigan falls from Big Ben's tower.
Gaston falls from Beast's castle.
Frollo falls (getting a little repetative here) into molten material (at least its spiced up).
Scar gets EATEN ALIVE.
Clayton gets hung by vines.
Barbosa gets shot.
Shan Yu gets blown up by fireworks.
Favilier gets dragged to the Other Side.
And, saving the most gruesome for last, the Horned King literally GETTING TORN PIECE BY PIECE BY THE A CURSED CAULDRON.
Yeah, Disney should have had no complaints with Burton's work.
MolemanNineThousand
Easily the most unironically badass musical number in Muppet history.
Cindy Brooks
MolemanNineThousand to
Rene Branstetter
To quote Harley Quinn
YA DAMN STRAIGHT!!!
capmeme
Yup
Krystal Titus
100%
Ricky Moran Jr
MolemanNineThousand i agree, i especially love the rhymes throughout the song
Airlock
"Okay Hans, it's a movie about pirates that are puppets. We don't need anything crazy."
Hans Zimmer:
WolfOfJustice
Of course it's Han Zimmer, who else would come with such a legendary tune.
Elizabeth Alvarado
He wrote the score for the "Pirates of the Caribbean", don't expect anything less.
Wintersaga
Zimmer wrote the instrumental score for the film, but his only writing credit on any of the songs is "Boom Shakalaka!". All of the songs, including this one, were written by Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil.