It's flaming drafty 'round Cape Horn

[sovay]

Aye, 'tis that time of year again—when a woman can wake to seagulls screaming and bells from the harbor,* and polish up her West Country accent for an honest day's pirating, or at least the wistful conversation thereof. So, what would ye? In honor of freebooters, scalawags, and folk musicians everywhere, I offer ye:

Peter Bellamy's "Barbaree";

I'm not no man-o'-war nor a privateer says he
But I am a salt sea pirate, I'm a-seeking for me fee

Waterson : Carthy's "Captain Kidd";

I sailed from sound to sound
And many ships I found
And the most of men I drowned as I sailed

The Young Tradition's "Chicken on a Raft";

Seagulls wheeling overhead
I ought to be home in me feather bed

and damn me, but this one's an earworm if ever I caught one, "Two Hornpipes (Tortuga)" from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. There. That ought to tide ye over.

And hey for Davy Jones.

*God's truth. I'm checking me e-mail and all on a sudden I hear seagulls crying in a flurry and two or three gongs of a bell, distant down the wind, and I know by rights those gulls got lost and turned up on the Arlington Res, and the bell's likely some church's I don't attend, but what I know is what it sounds like: so I told fleurdelis28. That's the sea coming for ye, she says, what's the ghost pirate round here—that was a compliment, I don't mind telling ye. Aye, could be a ballad, even. "The Sinking of the 'Arlington Heights'." Worse songs have come out of the sea.

Comments

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Yaaar!

Okay, got that out of the way. Being more the ninja on that clichè axis than pirate, but hey.

[sovay]

Being more the ninja on that clichè axis than pirate, but hey.

Ah, you can still take the music.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

Fine music; thank you.

Damn, but those hornpipes are catchy (also familiar).

I heard Cyril Tawney sing Chicken on a Raft, long ago at the folk club in Old Harlow...

[sovay]

Damn, but those hornpipes are catchy (also familiar).

I've seen the tune identified alternately as "The Nine Points of Roguery" or "Fisher's Hornpipe." Unfortunately, since I've never heard either of those pieces (although I have read Jane Yolen's short story "The Five Points of Roguery"), I have no idea if this is true. Input is welcome!

I heard Cyril Tawney sing Chicken on a Raft, long ago at the folk club in Old Harlow...

That's extremely cool.

[carandol.livejournal.com]

Arr, fine shanties they be! Thank-ee kindly.

[sovay]

Ah, yer welcome!

[schreibergasse.livejournal.com]

Arrh. Ye would ne think that "Chicken on a Raft" would be a sea shanty--ay, it sounds more like somethin' Wierd Al would do. But so it be...!

[sovay]

But so it be...!

Seems that some pirate a cappella group agrees with you, but aye it's Cyril Tawney's—the same man what gave us "The Grey Funnel Line."

Oh, and I likes yer icon.

Naught's left upon your bones when you have shaken claws with Hook

[teenybuffalo.livejournal.com]

Yo ho, yo ho, the pirate life,
The flag of skull and bones,
A merry hour, a hempen rope,
And hey for Davy Jones!

Hm... the tune(s) sounded a goodish bit like "Lamplighter's Hornpipe" to me. I'll try playing through "Fisher's" and "Nine Points of Roguery" tomorrow.

[sovay]

I'll try playing through "Fisher's" and "Nine Points of Roguery" tomorrow.

That would be great. Would it be possible for me to get the recordings from you for comparison?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I heard Liza Carthy sing Captain Kidd live. She was in tears by the end. It's one of my all time favourite songs. So ghostly and sad.

[sovay]

It's one of my all time favourite songs. So ghostly and sad.

Yes. I would love to hear it live: I've only ever seen Waterson : Carthy in concert once. (And they were wonderful.)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I love Waterson:Carthy. Apart from being such consummate (and unshowy) musicians, they all seem such nice people.