Pirate Song Lyrics
I once had the heart of a lion
Commanded my ship between many a shore
The ol' Jolly Roger a-flyin
And regret into plenty of lasses
Oh, how I wish I could take back those days
As I stare at these empty beer-glasses
I toyed with men's wives and their daughters
And in my pursuit of this ill-gotten wealth
I stabbed and I slashed and I slaughtered.
The men that I've fought
Are matched by the number of women I've bought
And for what?
I've killed and I've shot
And reddened the cold tears of children with blood
And If I could go back and make my amends
I'd make all those mistakes again
I'd kill every last one of those bastards, my friend
As we narrowed the gap with our quarry
The sound of the cannons and splintering wood
Would herald our paths into glory
Our hearts hadn't time for the wounded
I took my share and the crew got the rest
And on into port we then bounded
Of food and of wenches and beer
When we'd tired of the port or had drunken it dry
The time to set sail would come near
We heeded no law
Made other men suffer so we could have more
And for what?
We lived every day
With the noose of the hangman a hair's breadth away
And If I could go back and make my amends
I'd make all those mistakes again
I'd kill every last one of those bastards, my friend
And taken my fair share, I must say
Holds full of booty I happily seized
From crews who would not see a new day
But I knew more lay on the horizon,
Yet the beer was too good and the gals were too sweet
And now in my old age it's gone
A price that I paid without scruple
So many souls suffered so I could get drunk
And swagger from brothel to brothel
It's been many years
Yet the screams of the vanquished still ring in my ears
And for what?
I've blood on my hands
I wait for my place in the halls of the damned
And If I could go back and make my amends
I'd make all those mistakes again
I'd kill every last one of those bastards, my friend
While this song does generally just tell the story of a pirate like many other Alestorm songs...it does have a deeper meaning, beckoning the listener to not regret anything they've done. "And If I could go back and make my amends, I'd make all those mistakes again" Basically i take this song to mean that you shouldn't regret anything simply because what you've done and how you react to situations makes you who you are, and at the end of the day, no matter how you feel about it, if you were to go back and change something, for all you know that could greatly change who you are now. Everything you've done makes you who you are, and because of that you shouldn't regret anything.
Love this song, my favorite Alestorm song. I really like how they don't put a huge romanticized twist on piracy. It is quite brutally honest about the immorality and greed that the scourge of the sea was capable of. That line, "Made other men suffer so we could have more," is somewhat chilling to me. Chilling in all the right ways.
Love this song, my favorite Alestorm song. I really like how they don't put a huge romanticized twist on piracy. It is quite brutally honest about the immorality and greed that the scourge of the sea was capable of. That line, "Made other men suffer so we could have more," is somewhat chilling to me. Chilling in all the right ways.