Pirate Lullabye
The Whiskey Bards Lyrics


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Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll
Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow
Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh
The gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate lullaby

Storms rise upon the seas as clouds darken up high,
See the sails begin to stretch, as winds fall from the sky,
Waves roll and toss the ship, roughly from side to side
Taste the salt upon your lips from the fury of the tide.

Grab the hatches, batten down as waves they crest the bow,
Main sail furl, secure the deck else every man might drown,
Drop the anchor ride the storm, and pray with all your might,
Feel thunder clap and racing heart, as you struggle for your life.

Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll
Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow
Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh
The gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate lullaby

Storm doth wane and fade away, as clouds drift off with sighs,
See on high, the azure hue, of gentle soft blue skies,
Waves fall and calm goes all, the sea now lightly rolls,
Taste the tang of sea and sweat, as salt winds gently blow.

Grasp the ropes and hoist the sails, it's back to port your bound,
The main sail billows large and full, soon you'll be on dry ground,
Weigh the anchor, spin the wheel, this day o'er nature win,
Feel spray of sea, the ocean's kiss, you're on your way again.

Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll
Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow




Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh
The gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate lullaby

Overall Meaning

The Whiskey Bards's "Pirate Lullabye" is a song about the life of a pirate on the high seas. The lyrics describe the various challenges that a pirate faces, such as storms and rough waves, but also the joys that can be found in the freedom of the sea. The chorus, "Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll," suggests a certain resignation to the turbulence of the pirate's life, and the ocean is depicted as both treacherous and soothing.


The first verse paints a calming picture of the ship rocking back and forth as the pirate falls asleep. The second verse, on the other hand, brings the listener into the midst of a storm, with sails stretching and waves tossing the ship. The third verse is a return to calmer waters, and the last verse describes the joy and anticipation of returning to dry ground.


Overall, "Pirate Lullabye" is a poetic and vivid description of the ups and downs of pirate life, and the song's repetitive chorus serves to reinforce the themes of turbulence and tranquility.


Line by Line Meaning

Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll
Take rest, young pirate, as the ship rocks back and forth on the swaying waves of the sea


Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow
Sleep, young pirate, as refreshing ocean breezes blow


Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh
Experience the shipā€™s gentle movement and the sound of the wind as it passes through the rigging above


The gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate lullaby
The soft sound of the waves against the hull creates a soothing lullaby for the pirates to sleep to


Storms rise upon the seas as clouds darken up high,
The appearance of dark clouds signifies the onset of a storm brewing on the high seas


See the sails begin to stretch, as winds fall from the sky,
As the winds decrease in intensity, the sailcloth on the ship's sails can be seen bulging outward


Waves roll and toss the ship, roughly from side to side
The ship is being violently tossed about by the churning, rough waves


Taste the salt upon your lips from the fury of the tide.
As the water jets over the deck, the pirates can taste the salt in their mouths, a result of the tumultuous waves


Grab the hatches, batten down as waves they crest the bow,
In preparation for the coming waves, the pirates secure the hatches and protect their fort from its impact


Main sail furl, secure the deck else every man might drown,
The main sail is furled so as to protect the ship from powerful winds and waves that threaten to cause damage and peril to its passengers


Drop the anchor ride the storm, and pray with all your might,
The pirates have lowered their anchor in order to remain steadfast during the storm, while they also seek divine help


Feel thunder clap and racing heart, as you struggle for your life.
As the pirate battles the ocean's fury, their heart beats violently, along with the sounds of thunder in the background


Storm doth wane and fade away, as clouds drift off with sighs,
As the storm calms down, the clouds will start to faintly disappear


See on high, the azure hue, of gentle soft blue skies,
As the storm lightens, the sky gradually brightens up into a calm, light blue hue


Waves fall and calm goes all, the sea now lightly rolls,
The once-powerful waves have now died down and the sea is gently moving back and forth


Taste the tang of sea and sweat, as salt winds gently blow.
As the pirate enjoys the calming sea breeze after the turmoil, they can taste the salty air and feel the sweat trickling down their faces


Grasp the ropes and hoist the sails, it's back to port you're bound,
As the ship returns to port, the pirates grabs the ropes to hoist the sail


The main sail billows large and full, soon you'll be on dry ground,
As the ship approaches land, the main sail fully bellows before docking


Weigh the anchor, spin the wheel, this day o'er nature win,
The pirates pull up the anchor and turn the wheel to bring the arch to rest, and celebrate victory over nature's wrath


Feel spray of sea, the ocean's kiss, you're on your way again.
The pirates rush to the front of the ship to feel the ocean spray their faces as they joyfully sail off once again, into open waters.




Contributed by Austin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@andrewo2769

[chorus] Sleep bonnie pirate laddie while the waves they roll.
Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow.
Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh.
A gentle ocean sounds below a pirate lullaby.

Storms rise upon the seas as clouds darken up high.
See the sails begin to stretch as winds fall from the skies.
Waves roll and toss the ship roughly from side to side.
Taste the salt upon your lips from the fury of the tide.

Grab the hatches, batten down as waves they crest the bow.
Mainsail first, secure the deck else every man might drown.
Drop the anchor, ride the storm and pray with all your might.
Feel thunderclap and racing heart as you struggle for your life.

[chorus]

Storm doth wane and fade away as clouds drift off with sighs.
See on high the azure view of gentle soft blue skies.
Waves fall and calm goes o'er, the sea now lightly rolls.
Taste the tang of sea and sweat as salt winds gently blow.

Grasp the ropes and hoist the sails, it's back to port you're bound.
A mainsail billows large and full, soon you'll be on dry ground.
Weigh the anchor, spin the wheel this day o'er nature win.
Feel spray of sea, the ocean's kiss, you're on your way again.

[chorus]



@roastedlemon

Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll
Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow
Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh
The gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate lullaby

Storms rise upon the seas as clouds darken up high,
See the sails begin to stretch, as winds fall from the sky,
Waves roll and toss the ship, roughly from side to side
Taste the salt upon your lips from the fury of the tide.

Grab the hatches, batten down as waves they crest the bow,
Main sail furl, secure the deck else every man might drown,
Drop the anchor ride the storm, and pray with all your might,
Feel thunder clap and racing heart, as you struggle for your life.


Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll
Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow
Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh
The gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate lullaby

Storm doth wane and fade away, as clouds drift off with sighs,
See on high, the azure hue, of gentle soft blue skies,
Waves fall and calm goes all, the sea now lightly rolls,
Taste the tang of sea and sweat, as salt winds gently blow.

Grasp the ropes and hoist the sails, itā€™s back to port your bound,
The main sail billows large and full, soon youā€™ll be on dry ground,
Weigh the anchor, spin the wheel, this day oā€™er nature win,
Feel spray of sea, the oceanā€™s kiss, youā€™re on your way again.


Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, while the waves they roll
Sleep bonnie pirate laddie, ocean breezes blow
Feel the ship rock to and fro, hear wind through rigging sigh
The gentle ocean sounds below, a pirate lullaby



@tesstosauce4436

I want to tell a little story about this song.

A woman named Jane, the bastard daughter of an Irish carpenter, was in a loveless marriage with an abusive man. Her only light was her son. Every night she sang him the Celtic songs of her father and the shanties he had learned from working on ships. His favorite was this song, the Pirate's Lullaby.
Then her son was gone, sold into an unknown apprenticeship by his own father. And without him and his needs to care for, Jane's husband no longer had any excuse to go easy on her. One night, she fought for her life and won. Then she had to disappear.
Years pass and she's spent most of it chasing leads, travelling shore to shore, taking assassin jobs on abusive men and accepting work on ship repairs where she can get it.
Then one job joins her with three unlikely companions who she thinks she'll be rid of after the payout, but they get stuck together after a shipwreck.
Now stranded with these people, she begins to appreciate their help and company. One night, after a grueling day where the four have found themselves more bonded, just before they go to sleep, Jane begins to sing...
In a sad, low voice, she sings her son's lullaby to these unlikely characters. They don't even know she had a son, or what that song means to them. Jane probably doesn't even know why she thought to sing it, but she does. And in some small way, right then, they become a bit of a family.

Anyway thanks for the inspiration in my D&D campaign lol



All comments from YouTube:

@bradboda

The several times I have had the fortune to see the Whiskey Bards in person they have never failed to totally impress me... but one time stays prominent in my mind. They were performing in the next camp over but my Lady wasn't feeling well and decided to stay in camp for the evening. After their performance I mentioned that this was her favorite piece of their work but she was feeling poorly and these four Gentlemen chose to come next door to our camp and perform this particular piece for her. They can do no wrong (well... maybe. But you'll have a hard time convincing me of that)

@lasskicksass

this song gives me the chills, its so soothing

@ethanthamouse6695

Probably a song of mourning.... Davy Jones is a cruel and swift one and his locker is vast

@kameronmyles2013

This is one of the most contradicting things i have ever read

@DeadPerfection

@@kameronmyles2013 I feel bad for you if you've never gotten good chills before

@bianconi207

I've only listened to this black out drunk. It has always soothed the liquor tempest. The harmony is magnificent, powerful

@diego2112gaming

As someone who has spent his share of time riding the Bucking Bronco that is the Atlantic Ocean in a storm, this song moves me to manly tears.

I love the imagery of it, I love the cadence, I love the flow. Good deck song, this.

@FantasyApprentice

this song is amazing and so soothing, there noises are so beautiful and calm. It is so easy to fall asleep šŸ’¤

@geoffreykridler562

I love The Whiskey Bards, got to see em in person.

@ryanbentley6395

Geoffrey Kridler You'll enjoy this. I not only know them, but I'm best friends with cosimos son and reenact with them. I've played D&D with Cosimo too. I've been in combat with Sim too.

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