Yellow Jack

(album: Songs And Curses - 2012)

Now listen me mateys I'll tip ye some staves
Some songs 'bout me mis'ry fer ye
I was bound fer Bermuda with a shipment of slaves
T'was nothing special to me

But when we were loading we found the ships cat
Wet and stiff and dead
One of the mateys spit in his hat
And cried Hoist the Yellow Jack

In the part of Dublin our swab boy turned ill
T' was nothing that bothered the crew
Ay e' was a lubber, let me tell ye, I will
He cried Hoist the Yellow Jack

Two days later we shovelled 'es corpse
Down in the ocean so vast
But a few moments later the lookout turned green
And we hoist the Yellow Jack

Hoist the Yellow Jack
Hoy hoy hoist the Yellow Jack

On the coast of Tortuga we encountered a sight
That freezes men's blood in their veins
There on the horizon was ye pirates black rag
An' we braced fer a bloody end

But there be on thing even fearless men fears
To the devil with blisters descend
So then our clever first mate howled and cried
He cried Hoist the Yellow Jack

Hoist the Yellow Jack
Hoy hoy hoist the Yellow Jack

And after some racket and a stray cannon blast
The corsairs turned their tail
And we cheered afore and beyond the mat
Around our Yellow Jack! Hoy hoy

Hoist the Yellow Jack, Hoy hoy
Hoist the Yellow Jack

On the sixth day me Cap'n hit the deck
With a clatter and a moan
And the moment before he left this world
He cried hoist the Yellow Jack! Hoy hoy

Hoist the Yellow Jack, Hoy hoy
Hoist the Yellow Jack

A few days later we were drifting off course
Lost in Caribbean night
The only noise was a mumbling of men
Mumbling hoist the Yellow Jack! Hoy hoy

Hoist the Yellow Jack, Hoy hoy
Hoist the Yellow Jack

Now I am alone on this barren ghost ship
An' the blisters is clouding me will
Me legs are stiff and me throat is dry
So I'll drink from this bottle me fill
Then I'll hoist the Yellow Jack! Hoy hoy

Hoist the Yellow Jack, Hoy hoy
Hoist the Yellow Jack