This Ship's Going Down
Voltaire Lyrics


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A gargantuan hole in the bow, will the ocean to enter allow.
Oh but more a sin than letting it in it's letting our good fortune out.
The nest to the storm did succumb, while the crow hid his fear in the rum.
And the mast, it broke and threw out the bloke and well now he's surely my chum.

Love letters from under his bed, holds the cabin boy over his head
A futile try to keep it dry what tears have already wet.
They were penned by a girl in Merak, and the Javanese value their tact.
She'll conclude he's horribly rude 'cause he's sure as hell not writing back.

(Chorus)
'Cause this ship's going down
All on account of the weather
Though we'll drown
There's no need to frown
'Cause we're all going together
And I won't say "Woe is me"
As I disappear into the sea
'Cause I'm in good company
As we're all going together

I've had women of every kind, but the only one truly was mine
Is the one at home who'll be alone when I am full-up with brine.
For my son I had always a plan, for to raise him as best as I can.
Oh well you can bet, my only regret is to not see him grow to a man.

(Chorus)
'Cause this ship's going down
All on account of the weather
Though we'll drown
There's no need to frown
'Cause we're all going together
And I won't say "Woe is me"
As I disappear into the sea
'Cause I'm in good company
As we're all going together

I was sinking down into the brine, when a curious sight caught my eye.
Seaman Shaft had found him a raft and was makin' a speedy goodbye.
At the risk of sounding absurd, I have always been good as my word.
So a fish gig, I lanced into his eye and I knocked his ass overboard.

(Chorus)
'Cause this ship's going down
All on account of the weather
Though we'll drown
There's no need to frown
'Cause we're all going together
And I won't say "Woe is me"
As I disappear into the sea
Oh hell!




'Cause you've all been so good to me
So we're all going together.

Overall Meaning

The song "This Ship's Going Down" by Voltaire is a ballad about the tragic sinking of a ship at sea. The song paints a vivid picture of a ship in distress, with a massive hole in the bow allowing water to flood in. The crew is faced with the inevitability of their impending death, but there is a sense of camaraderie on board as they all face the same fate together.


The second verse of the song focuses on the cabin boy, who is desperately trying to keep his love letters from a girl in Merak dry while the ship goes down. The tone of the song is somewhat fatalistic, but the sense of unity among the crew is touching. The third verse is about the singer's longing to see his son grow up, but knowing that he will not be able to due to the circumstances.


The chorus emphasizes the fact that the crew is all in this together, and there is no need to be glum about the situation. Despite their impending deaths, they are all united by their shared experience. The final verse is about the singer's determination to take out a crew member who has betrayed them and stolen a raft for himself.


Overall, "This Ship's Going Down" is a poignant and beautifully written song about the inevitability of death and the importance of coming together in times of crisis.


Line by Line Meaning

A gargantuan hole in the bow, will the ocean to enter allow.
There's a huge hole in the front of the ship, big enough for the sea to come in.


Oh but more a sin than letting it in it's letting our good fortune out.
Letting the sea in is not as bad as losing our luck and prosperity.


The nest to the storm did succumb, while the crow hid his fear in the rum.
The ship was destroyed by the storm, while the sailor tried to cope with alcohol.


And the mast, it broke and threw out the bloke and well now he's surely my chum.
The mast broke and threw a man overboard, and he is now dead.


Love letters from under his bed, holds the cabin boy over his head
The sailor is holding love letters from the cabin boy in his hands.


A futile try to keep it dry what tears have already wet.
The sailor is trying to keep the letters dry, but they are already wet with tears.


They were penned by a girl in Merak, and the Javanese value their tact.
The letters were written by a girl in Merak, and the Javanese are known for their politeness and diplomacy.


She'll conclude he's horribly rude 'cause he's sure as hell not writing back.
The girl will think that the sailor is rude because he is not responding to her letters.


'Cause this ship's going down
The ship is sinking.


All on account of the weather
The weather is the cause of the ship sinking.


Though we'll drown
We will die by drowning.


There's no need to frown
We don't need to be sad or worried about it.


'Cause we're all going together
We will all die together.


And I won't say "Woe is me"
I won't complain about my fate.


As I disappear into the sea
As I die by drowning.


'Cause I'm in good company
Because I am not alone, we all will die.


I've had women of every kind, but the only one truly was mine
The sailor has had many women, but he really loves the one waiting for him at home.


Is the one at home who'll be alone when I am full-up with brine.
The woman at home will be alone when the sailor is dead and buried in the sea.


For my son I had always a plan, for to raise him as best as I can.
The sailor had plans to raise his son properly and give him the best life possible.


Oh well you can bet, my only regret is to not see him grow to a man.
The sailor's only regret is that he will not be able to see his son grow up.


I was sinking down into the brine, when a curious sight caught my eye.
The sailor was drowning in the sea when he saw something strange.


Seaman Shaft had found him a raft and was makin' a speedy goodbye.
Another sailor found a raft and left the sinking ship quickly.


At the risk of sounding absurd, I have always been good as my word.
The sailor takes pride in always keeping his word.


So a fish gig, I lanced into his eye and I knocked his ass overboard.
The sailor attacked the other sailor with a fishing tool and threw him overboard.


Oh hell!
An expression of frustration or anger.


'Cause you've all been so good to me
The sailor thanks everyone on the ship for being good to him.


So we're all going together.
Everyone on the ship will die together.




Contributed by Evan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

airshipswashbuckler

Here are the lyrics for whom ever was curious. Some of Voltaire’s best!

A gargantuan hole in the bow
Will the ocean to enter allow
Oh what's more of a sin than letting it in?
It's letting our good fortune out
The nest to the storm did succumb
While the crow hid his fear in the rum
And the mast it broke and threw out the bloke
And well now he's surely my chum

Love letters from under his bed
Holds a cabin boy over his head
A futile try to keep it dry what tears have already wet
They were pinned by a girl in Merak
And the Javanese value their tact
She'll conclude he's horribly rude
Cause he's sure as hell not writing back

Because this ship's going down
All on account of the weather
Though we'll drown
There's no need to frown
Cause we're all going together
And I won't say "Woe is me"
As I disappear into the sea
Cause I'm in good company
As we're all going together

I've had women of every kind
But the only one truly was mine
Is the one at home who'll be alone
When I am full-up with brine
For my son I had always a plan
For to raise him as best as I can
Oh well you can bet
My only regret is to not see him grow to a man

Cause this ship's going down
All on account of the weather
Though we'll drown
There's no need to frown
Cause we're all going together
And I won't say "Woe is me"
As I disappear into the sea
Cause I'm in good company
As we're all going together

I was sinking down into the brine
When a curious sight caught my eye
Seaman Shaft had found him a raft
And was makin' a speedy goodbye
At the risk of sounding absurd
I have always been good as my word
So a fish-gig, I, lanced into his eye
And I knocked his ass overboard!

Cause this ship's going down
All on account of the weather
Though we'll drown
There's no need to frown
Cause we're all going together
And I won't say "Woe is me"
As I disappear into the sea
Oh hell!
Cause you've all been so good to me
So we're all going together



GrahamChapman

All hands ready! Forward, steady!
Here's one voyage that you won't be forgetting.

Fair winds blowing, starlight glowing,
Hoist our banner, and let's get going!
Dive right to it, pull right through it--
A knot so tight, you can't undo it.

Chart your courses, find your purpose,
All reflected in a glassy surface.
Salty flavored air we savor--
Now rig those sails, rig 'em in my favor!

Aye, a duty and an honor for the captain to go with the vessel when she's going down.
That's the perfect job for me-- since, when it comes to swim or sink, I think I'd rather drown...

Oh-- all at once, we're struck with the urge; it feels so right to submerge.
What do you mean, that's not what you drafted in for?
Here's your warning: we may capsize-- but then that's not a surprise.
You tackle something so much greater than you, it pulls back.

Foul winds yelling, waves are swelling;
So much clamor, it's overwhelming!
One sick feeling, rocking, reeling;
The deck's awash, so take the wheel...!

Aye, a duty and an honor for the captain to go with the vessel when she's going down.
Now, if I'll be going down-- I'll make sure some way or another that you're coming with me...



Flooding, spilling, lungs are filling,
icy, chilling-- ain't this thrilling...?
Gasping, drinking, grasping, sinking,
eardrums bursting, vision shrinking...

Because there's no end to it, this bottomless and blue expanse of sea,
Instead of feeling locked in, tell me, are you free now?

Here's one match you'll never win; however many gallons you take in,
You'll never swallow up the ocean. Let it swallow you instead!

Explore, once more, these great unfathomable depths.
So vast, for sure, they'll take away your breath...



All comments from YouTube:

Nathan Stitt

Voltaire: Though we'll drown, there's no need to frown cause we're all going together!
Seaman Shaft: [Finds Liferaft]
Voltaire: Did I fucking stutter?

The Massinator

Lol

Привет

🤣

Lex Rutherford

The ship is going down
Took a hit right to the rutter
Though we'll all soon drown
Theres no need to frown
kills the surviving sailor
Excuse me, did I fucking stutter?

Giramus

Yeah. This now has to do.

PsychadelicoDuck

"All on account of the weather." He always struck me as oddly insistent about that point. "Of course it was the weather. I didn't make that hole. It was the storm. We're going together."

Faruk Delikaya

ikr? kinda sinister sounding.

Sovi the Disastrous

Now taking applications for the fishing boat cult.

king abdullah

It's a pride thing, sailors would rather die due to the weather than getting pillaged by pirates

diamond man00

I’m incredibly late, but the continuation is “To the Bottom of the Sea.” Not sure if this is considered spoilers or not, but there’s the preface: the ship was attacked by monstrously-sized squid or octopus, hence the cover art. The captain is probably just sounding off what most people will do: write off the ship as lost to the weather. “This Sea” talks about his wife’s response to him never coming back, along with further context for why he took to sailing in the first place. Enough of my pedantic essay, do enjoy the music

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