We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

Adventure Stories Volume II: Pirates

by Worldwide Adventurers

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $3 USD  or more

     

1.
[Act One] I am not a pirate, but I long to be, Sailing by the stars across the seven seas, Living with no earthly cares, my mates and me— The envy of all worldly men, who are not free. A song to sing for beggars, a song to sing for saints, A song to sing for wealthy men all wrapped and bound in chains! Our treasure's not in gold, or in our piety. Our wealth is in an answered call, the longing of the sea! Stormy oceans carry us to lands we've never known, To mysteries and buried secrets from the tales of old. So hoist the sail and raise the flag, we do not stop for night. We'll ride the wild winds and waves until the morning's light! In smuggler's caves and tavern halls, we live by no man's rules. We fly the colors of the living, free and proud and true! We set out on the ocean blue to escape tyranny. We'll keep our merry hearts alive so long we roam the sea. A man once walked along the shore, and called he out to me, "I see you are a fisherman, a lover of the sea. I know this world's a wretched place, but if you'll follow me I'll take all of your burdens... and pirates we shall be!" Yo ho, yo ho! [ Act Two] Hope is now before us, and misery at aft. We could not care the lesser for the men who say, "You're daft!" So let the howling winds blow in and take hold of the mast. Release the wheel and all your sins, for you are free at last! "Swab the deck, my clever lad, and listen close to me. Learn my ways, and soon one day a captain you shall be. Climb the rigging, mount the nest, and say, what can you see?" "A fleet upon the starboard side... in battle we shall meet!" "Load the cannons, raise the flag, and take hold of your heart! A proper man of courage does not flee before the start. Do not fear when death is near, when doom is night at hand. Your end marks the beginning of a life in fairer lands!" All day the battle rages, and on into the night. With clashing swords and pistol shots, upon the decks we fight! We match our wits and cannonballs with the finest of their fleet. Their admiral walks the plank in the shame of his defeat. So raise a drink to plunder, and lift a toast for spoils. Cheer good men - in bravery, the enemy we've foiled! Pour another round and we will sing a song of joy. When next we make our port the folk will say, “Victors—ahoy!" We moor upon an isle of wealthy fools and knaves Who drink all night and sleep all day on the labor of their slaves. When the sun has set, we break off all their chains And share with them our plunder, and now free men they are made! We hole up in the tavern with our new crewmen and mates. Soon those rich folks come a calling for their run aways! The barman sends them off with ale, saying, "Go, drink your sway!" But when the rest have gone, one aging wealthy man does stay. "I was once a young lad, sailing by the charts. I did not savor wind, nor water, nor admire the stars. Now I have grown old and frail, and do not journey far. I only long to sail the seas once more to find my heart." Well, come aboard and voyage long, we make for unmapped shores. Ride the stormy seas with us, you'll find that soul of yourn. Leave your wealth behind you, and your bitter scorn. Make your home with slaves and sinners—then you'll be reborn. Yo ho, yo ho!
2.
[Narrator:] “Listen here, ye fellow slaves—to the bar and drink. A story to tell, a tale be told, to take ye to the brink Of death and glory; please heed my story—I beg not for helping hands, For I am not a captain, you see. I barely am a man.” I know not where my soul is headed, but I still know what's right; I never meant to guide free men into uncharted night, "Yet we board again, dock unknown, and sail by pale moonlight." Leader of a band of criminals on the high seas, "We seek the fortune rumored still across the great divide." Send them home, I cannot do, for then they'll turn on me, "Yet we find not what we're searching for, instead only lies." A coward's passing, a deathly lashing, quarrels not for me. I leave with the contents of my ship and set sail on a warmer breeze. "We awake to find we are without lead, Our captain gone, our lives forlorn. We know now what we seek." I tell this tale to all who will heed of my fate and final keep— My ship has sunk, my sails still drawn, yet a lover of the sea. My men have passed, their souls still go, causing mine to flee. They seek my bones for revenge. They'll find them among the many men Taken by the sea. I am dug too deep and too far down, The walls are too steep and I cannot climb out. My shovel's broke and this hole is dark, And I cannot revive my buried heart. The sand, it covers me foot to crown— Yes, an ocean grave is a dark renown, And a fitting end for a selfish start, For such cruel betrayal's a loathsome art. Then I saw my men standing there, clothes swaying in the waves. And I shouted, "Fear not! For now you see that you were merely slaves. "In death you are free, but as for me, I have already paid The greatest price, I gave up my soul—you have been betrayed." "We came to bring upon ye a judgment swift and fair, Death does not a free man make, surely you do not care. So walk the land forevermore with thine guilty heart. In the lives of seventy men, you have played the devil's part." For I took the map, And I left All my men For the sea, Good as dead, Out of hope, Full of dread. Now it is mine To be cursed For my hate, For the worst Is the fate Of a ghost Of a man, Once so free, Now undead. [Narrator:] “I tell this tale for all who set sail on such deep and darker breeze. From the brink of glory, death told my story, eating away at me. A man is judged not by his skin, but by his men and keep, So fare thee well, cretins from hell, doomed to roam with me.”
3.
[The Island, the Omen, and the Maid] And the bottle she held in her hands Was the poison from which I had drunk. Though my spyglass had seen through her plans, Lonely hearts may be swindled by love. And the bitterest fate of a man of the sea Is to go down alive with the chain and the key To the lock just out of his reach As old Davy Jones comes up to lay him to sleep. 'Twas the first of December, and sailing the blue On that cold winter's morn we did find, All wrecked up on the coast of a snow covered island, A ship with no sailors in sight. I, the Captain, gave orders to lower the boats. We weighed anchor and made for the shore. And then climbing up through a sharp break in the hull We met something you've not seen before. There hung from the rigging a man All bloodied, beaten, and bruised, And dangling there the lad rasped, "Beware you ignorant fools! Do you not know the look And the sign of a ship When she's taken surprised And asunder she's torn Mast, rudder, and plank As though caught by foul winds In a tempest from hell, the most fearsome of storms. But then up from beneath comes a reeking black stench As a thousand dead rotting old sailors it seems And before you can jump ship and make for safe land You are lost, for that smell is the breath of the beast!" "My captain, my captain, what now shall we do, For this man who has spoken is dead." 'Twas the third first of June at the port of Tortuga, The plunder divided and spent, When awaking at noon to the sound of the bell I looked out the east window and said, "By the green of the sky and the red of the sea There's an evil afoot at the bay!" And before I could rouse the first mate or the crew, The door opened and in came the maid. "We are under attack, come with me," the girl said As she rushed down the stairs to the den, And descending again to the cellar below, Past a trap to a tunnel we went. From the wall she withdrew an old lamp; With an ember my pipe gave the light. Under streets between walls hewn of crumbling stone We made haste and stole into the night. On the decks of my ship she held fast to my hand And gave one final kiss before making for land, And then safely ashore she turned back and she said, "I am sorry, but this is the end of the end." The anchor, the mast, and the fuse that was lit By the crew, once my friends, turned and left me for dead. The sail that was caught, oh, the wind that was swift, By the sea, by my blood, as I sank, oh my dread! For the bitterest fate of a man of the sea Is to go down alive with the chain and the key To the lock just out of his reach, As old Davy Jones comes up to lay him to sleep. On the morn that I woke and found all the crew gone And I heard that my captain was dead, I took what plunder I had to my name And my heart like a stone I fled. On the key I found a ship outward bound And the captain saw me and he said, "Come aboard and share in whatever plunder we Find in equal measure my friend." [The Beast, the Sea Dog, and the Wench] 'Twas the thirteenth of March, we were riding the coast After unearthing our treasure trove. Only one journey more before we would disband, So we made our heading for the cove. 'Twas smooth sailing at first, joy lifted my heart As the sea breeze played with my hair. Then a storm from the east came upon us As sure and as swift as despair. And then up from the deep came a reeking black stench As a thousand dead rotting old sailors it seemed, And before we could jump ship and make for safe land We looked into the face of the beast! When the stench that had risen overcame our hearts I looked on the creature with dread, At the claws that had torn, and the beaks that had fed, And the tentacles that dragged down the dead! And the call of a horn arose from the din As the captain shouted from the helm of the ship, "To arms! Put fire and sword to the foe! To fight is our only hope!" We rallied and cast all our lanterns and powder And torches into the black. We cut at the tentacles, shattered the beaks As it battered and beat at the flames. The beast begged, and he bribed, and he writhed all about While the captain's cold steel cut his heart out. With a dying breath he shouted aloud, "And she takes the souls of the finest of men For the ship that will never set sail!" As I sat on the deck in cold disbelief With a mug of ale in my hand, I thought back to a cold winter's morning And a bloodied, beaten, hanged man. "Do you not know the look and the sign of a ship?" I said to the man next to me, and he said, "Every sailor and scalawag knows of the beast By the green of the sky and the red of the sea. This is the work of old Davy Jones - He'd have dragged us down to his courts." The old sea dog said, "There is a wench that I know At the tavern down by the bay. Her hair is the red of the flames of the damned, And her honey-tongue dripping with lies. Her skin is as pale as silk covered bones, And her eyes are the green of the sea When it storms, and it crashes, and treacherously pulls you down Under to lay you to sleep." Then suddenly I saw a sailor Walk up to me and he said, "My captain, my captain, what now shall we do? For our captain slayed the beast, and is dead." 'Twas the twenty and seventh of May when we came To the port of Tortuga once more. We divided our plunder and I went in search Of a woman that I'd met before. I found her in the brothels down by the bay Entertaining men for her pay. I gave the lass in the parlor a coin, And asked to have her sent my way. She appeared soft as a shadow, And lovely as a flame. She beckoned me with a finger, And my soul filled with lust as I came. I followed her to her chamber, And watched her as she disrobed. Then she turned to me and she offered A cask inlaid with gold. "Drink with me and come to bed," she sang "Where the gulls cry soft as they fly overhead, And the ocean tastes as sweet as the cane; Every ship that sets sail is yours to command." I smiled at her as I drank From the cask that sealed my doom. Then she leaned in close and she whispered, "Beware, you ignorant fool! Greet my dear husband when you descend To the ship that will never set sail!" And the bottle she held in her hands as I fled Was the poison from which I had drunk, and I said, "Though my spyglass had seen through your plans to the end, Still the loneliest heart can be swindled and bled." Toward the bottom I sank as she watched with a grin, And the chain 'round my neck was an anchor akin To my love. In my innocence I'd been cut quick, And betrayed to this Hell of eternal regret. 'Twas the hour of dusk and, along with the sun, I descended into the depths, With the lust and the sin that clung to my skin Like chains that dragged down my flesh. I was greeted at first by a dead man, The flesh eaten away from his skull. "Welcome to the grave, you're a corpse among many. I'll take you to see Davy Jones." [ The Devil, the Dead, and the Last Dawn] 'Twas eleven long months on the floor of the sea, My hands worked down to the bone. The lash had been cruel to my back and my breast. Day and night I had toiled alone. In the dark I heard clearly the sound of the bell Calling all to come swift to the court. The Master of Hell had some cruel word to share; For relief, I held out no hope. All the dead had gathered before him, The Lord of the sorrowful damned. Then I saw at his side my first mate and I cried, "Sir I beg you—do not hurt this man!" I was forced to the front of the murmuring crowd, And then forced to my knees at his feet. I saw fear in the eyes of my loyal first mate, And then Davy Jones started to speak. "This isn't the last you've seen of me, Nor is it the first, But if you're not careful what you say, Oh, it may be the worst. This man who stands here before you— Beloved of yours is he not? Trustworthy friend right down to the end, He has come to save you from rot. I'll be plain with you, good captain— I am in need of your crew. You've denied me your service eleven months now As though you had something to prove. Withhold your soul this day And my wrath will be poured out in full Upon you and your crew, but especially so Upon this man who came to save you." As he picked me up by the collar, And stared with those dead steely eyes, I pulled out my heart and handed it forth. Then, I said in reply, "I have come to serve On your ship, good sir, Full of honor And full of pride." 'Twas the hour of midnight and I swabbed the deck Of the ship that would never set sail. 'Twas an old mangled shipwreck, broken in two, Without mast, without rigging, or rail. For thirty long years we had toiled, Preparing our ship to depart, So that old Davy Jones could escape his cold home And return to his bride and his heart. One day the captain pulled me aside, "The repairs are nearly all made. Then the anchor goes up, and the sails will be raised, And old Davy Jones will be away." "My captain, my captain, what now can we do? If we sail the whole world is doomed!" "Never fear, my good man! For in secret I've planned One last plot to get us safely home, And to keep Davy Jones far away from dry land. Come with me—I’ll explain all below." 'Twas the hour of twilight when all was made ready, One hour before the dawn, When old Davy Jones boarded the ship And made orders to leave the dock. "Davy Jones I have done as you said, Every order fulfilled without fail. But now we're going home, and we're leaving you here— It is you who shall never set sail!" Well he threw me down hard, and he drew out his sword, Scoffing at me as he scorned, "This is my ship! What gives you the right To decide who may now come aboard?" "For my crew, it was greed 'twas their downfall, And my first mate succumbed to his lust, But of all of these damned the first innocent man Is the one that you came to trust." "Good captain, your treachery shocks me! How innocent you seemed at first. I am taken aback by your surprising lack Of compassion—you see, I am cursed. I am trapped here in this rotting body, And trapped here awaiting the day When I see my true love, and live free up above, And let go of all of my hate." For a moment I almost believed him, A shade of regret in his eyes, But the captain held tight to his wit and his sense And responded with this stern reply: "Davy, your words are but poison, The kind that send men to the grave. By your deeds you are shown to be heartless and cold. We depart without you and your hate!" His sword clattered loud as it fell to the deck, And Davy Jones took a step back, Then my captain took up the cold weapon, and shouting, Leapt forth to press the attack. That day Davy Jones was defeated for good And we pushed him down off of the plank. And the captain yelled forth, "Ho, anchors away!" And a rippling black sail we did finally raise. And the bottle she held in her hands Was the poison from which I had drunk. But my spyglass had seen through her plans; We held fast and refused to give up. And the happiest fate of a man of the sea Is to come back to life from the dark of the deep To the sun, for one final journey, Making his heading for fiddler's green.

about

Three original songs about adventure, pirates, and freedom.

credits

released August 14, 2013

license

tags

about

Worldwide Adventurers Westerville, Ohio

contact / help

Contact Worldwide Adventurers

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like Worldwide Adventurers, you may also like: