Ye Banished Privateers is a ten man strong folk rock band band from Umeå,… Read Full Bio ↴Ye Banished Privateers is a ten man strong folk rock band band from Umeå, Sweden, best known for their pirate-themed lyrics and shanty -inspired tunes. The pirate crew are: Peter Mollwing, Jens Choong, Eva Maaharra, Björn Malmros, Sara Wallin, Emil Mäki, Magnus Mäki, Martin Gavelin, Jonas Nilsson, Richard Larsson and Hampus Holm.

The band released their debut album Songs and Curses, for free download on the Pirate Bay. The Album received nothing but positive comments, and was downloaded more than 120.000 times during the first week, placing itself as the No 1. downloaded album during the first 48 hours. Ye Banished Privateers' soundcloud page has had more than 100.000 streams since September and due to feedback from fans all over the world, Ye Banished Privateers has been chosen as the headlining act on the 10th anniversary international Pirate Bay Party, being held in Stockholm august 2013.

Before the release of their debut album, apart from touring Sweden, Ye Banished Privateers have played stages in Galway, Ireland (Galway arts Festival 2012), Copenhagen, Denmark (The Rock Pirate Party VI), Vaasa, Finland (Culture Night).

Ship Is Sinking
Ye Banished Privateers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I woke up this night the ship was sinkin'
Ship was sinking do-o-own
The lifeboat is wrecked and the ship is sinkin
Ship is sinking down
The lookout is drunk and the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And fire is loose and the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down

So – cut off the rope cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And the captain's marooned and the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down
The riggin's ablaze an' the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
Oh cut the prisoners loose, cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down

Now starboard is to the left,
larboard is to the right,
nowhere be land in sight
SHIP IS SINKING
The rudder be in a spin,
water be flooding in
SHIP IS SINKING DOWN

Now spit in your hat cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And finish yer rum cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down
Sweet Molly me love the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And I curse you Marlene for the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down

And learn how to swim cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And take off yer boots cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down
And man all the pumps, cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And climb fer the nest, cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down

And all hands on deck cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And gangplank fer all cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down
And swabboy be captain - the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And settle yer debts cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down

And swallow yer hat, cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
And say all yer prayers cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down
Abandon all hope cause the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking do-o-own
An' shiver me timbers the ship is sinkin'
Ship is sinking down

Now starboard is to the left,
larboard is to the right,
nowhere be land in sight
SHIP IS SINKING
The rudder be in a spin,
water be flooding in
SHIP IS SINKING DOWN

Now starboard is to the left,
larboard is to the right,
nowhere be land in sight
SHIP IS SINKING
The rudder is in a spin,

water be flooding in
SHIP IS SINKING DOWN

Overall Meaning

"Ship Is Sinking" is a traditional pirate-themed sea shanty describing a dire situation at sea where the ship is sinking. The song describes the chaos and fear that occur when a vessel is sinking in the middle of nowhere, and there seems to be no hope of survival. The opening lines say that the singer woke up in the middle of the night to find out that the ship is sinking. The lookout is drunk, and the ship is on fire; there is chaos everywhere. As the singer watches the disaster unfold, he advises his crew to abandon ship and take their chances in the water rather than risk drowning.

The second verse tells us that the ship is in trouble from all sides. The lifeboat is wrecked, rigging is ablaze, and water is flooding in; there's no land in sight. The crew is urged to cut the rope and abandon ship. The third verse emphasizes the severity of the situation: the captain is marooned, prisoners need to be set free, and all hands should be on the deck. The last verse suggests that it's too late; even if the crew tries to save themselves by learning how to swim or climbing to the nest, it won't help. The ship is sinking, and they need to abandon all hope.

The song is written in the form of a sea shanty, a type of work song that was traditionally sung on ships. The song has a simple, catchy melody that sailors could sing while performing repetitive tasks, making it an ideal song to lift spirits during difficult times. The lyrics have been modified over the years by various artists, and the version recorded by Ye Banished Privateers is one of many.

Line by Line Meaning

When I woke up this night the ship was sinkin'
The singer became aware in the middle of the night that the ship was sinking.

The lifeboat is wrecked and the ship is sinkin'
The lifeboat, which could help passengers escape from the sinking ship, is damaged beyond repair.

The lookout is drunk and the ship is sinkin'
The lookout, whose job it is to keep a lookout for dangers, is heavily intoxicated while the ship is sinking.

And fire is loose and the ship is sinkin'
There is a fire onboard the ship, and it is causing the ship to sink.

So – cut off the rope cause the ship is sinkin'
To save themselves, they need to cut the rope and abandon the ship that is sinking.

And the captain's marooned and the ship is sinkin'
The captain is stuck on the sinking ship and unable to escape.

The riggin's ablaze an' the ship is sinkin'
The rigging, which is used to support the mast and sails, is on fire and causing the ship to sink.

Oh cut the prisoners loose, cause the ship is sinkin'
To avoid the prisoners getting trapped or drowned, they should be released from their restraints as the ship is sinking.

Now starboard is to the left, larboard is to the right, nowhere be land in sight SHIP IS SINKING The rudder be in a spin, water be flooding in SHIP IS SINKING DOWN
The ship is spinning out of control, taking on water, and there is no sign of land. The ship is rapidly sinking.

Now spit in your hat cause the ship is sinkin'
Spitting in one's hat has been considered a superstitious gesture to ward off bad luck. This line implies that there is no hope left as the ship is sinking.

And finish yer rum cause the ship is sinkin'
Since there is no hope left, the singer suggests drinking the last of the rum on the sinking ship.

Sweet Molly me love the ship is sinkin'
The artist imagines their love, Sweet Molly, would be sympathetic to the tragedy of the ship sinking.

And I curse you Marlene for the ship is sinkin'
The singer blames Marlene for the sinking ship, perhaps because of a perceived betrayal or a specific incident that led to the disaster.

And learn how to swim cause the ship is sinkin'
The only way to survive is to know how to swim, especially when the ship is sinking.

And take off yer boots cause the ship is sinkin'
Taking off boots will give a person a better chance of swimming to safety when the ship is sinking.

And man all the pumps, cause the ship is sinkin'
To extend the survival rate, all people on the ship need to work together and man the pumps to keep the ship afloat.

And climb fer the nest, cause the ship is sinkin'
Climbing to the top of the mast is a potential way to survive a sinking ship, especially if the mast remains above water.

And all hands on deck cause the ship is sinkin'
Everyone on the ship needs to work together on the deck to salvage the sinking ship.

And gangplank fer all cause the ship is sinkin'
To give everyone on the sinking ship a chance to survive, gangplanks need to be lowered to get people off the ship.

And swabboy be captain - the ship is sinkin'
In a moment of desperation, the artist suggests that everyone disregards their current rank and that the person who knows the most about swabbing the deck should become the captain of the sinking ship.

And settle yer debts cause the ship is sinkin'
In the face of death, the artist suggests settling all debts on the sinking ship so that everyone can pass away with a clear conscience.

And swallow yer hat, cause the ship is sinkin'
Swallowing one's hat is another superstitious gesture meaning to give up hope, indicating that the situation is hopeless and the ship is going down.

And say all yer prayers cause the ship is sinkin'
The singer suggests that everyone on the sinking ship should say their prayers before the end comes.

Abandon all hope cause the ship is sinkin'
There is no hope of survival as the ship is sinking, and everyone needs to accept this fact, abandon all hope, and prepare for the worst.

An' shiver me timbers the ship is sinkin'
This is an exclamation of despair or surprise as the ship sinks, indicating the singer's disbelief at the situation.

Contributed by Maya I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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