What distinguishes an ordinary adventure from the truly epic? A theme song! Ideally one that is as exuberant as it is sardonic.
During our deep dive into nautical movies, we found ours:
The Pirate Song (transcribed from the movie Sea Gypsies) We got scurvy in our fingers and tattoos on our toeses and we're sailing on the high seas the water up our noses swabbin' decks and closin' hatches eatin' only what we catches oh we're pirates we likes to sail the the seas and we'll go to any measure sail through any storm and weather always under pirate cover swashling the buck buckling the swash rude comers, new comers doin what we want and we don't really mind if we steal all your wine steal a family heirloom yeah we do it all the time yeah we're rude fuckers crude fuckers doing what we do fuckers ----(trails off, drunk)--- yeah we'll go to any measure sail through any storm and pleasure oh what pirate never plundered when his [birdie's gettin' hungers] always buried eight feet under always under pirate cover we got scurvy in our fingers and tattoos on our toeses and we're sailing on the high seas salt water up our noses swabbin' decks and closin' hatches eatin' only what we catches oh we're pirates we likes to sail the the seas well a pirates only pleasure is his god forsaken treasure and he'll go to any measure sail through any storm and weather 'cause a pirate never plunders with his booty when he plunders always buried eight feet under always under pirate cover til one day we got attacked then we thought we should perhaps drop some pirate treasure maps that lead to pirate booby traps oh there's just one gal for me lovely lady named the sea well i'm a pirate and I likes to sail the seas swashling the buck buckling the swash we're plank walkers, rude talkers, doin what we want and we don't really mind if we drink all your wine steal a family heirloom we do it all the time oh we're toothless, ruthless, always do it soothless sail away, misbehavin' never washin', never shavin' we're pirates and we likes to sail the seas well we're pirates and we'll do just what we please [longer acoustic refrain, slowing pace] well its true I must admit we pirates never come in peace but one thing comes of grinding of our rusted crooked stolen teeth lovely lady named the sea a life rotten piracy and you know a pirate once will always be nothin' but a bastard to the sea ---------- Footnotes: Hear the song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjbM72GCa_E www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ4JwCXVfJI also, at the tail end of the movie, Sea Gypsies (available on amazon, free if you have prime), a woman sings it, with more lyrics
Not as original as Seu Jorge playing Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie in The Life Aquatic, but it suites us just fine. We will never be quite that epic. Or quirky.
Now to learn to play it on ukulele…
The cats remain skeptical, as they so often do. We remind them that as pirate kitties they eats only what they catches, but they just flick their tails toward the cabinet where we keep the kibble. Perhaps we’ll make pirates out of our pampered pussycats with more time afloat. And less kibble.
Always under pirate cover,
JoAnn
