Here’s a classic. The Beach Boys singing “Sail On Sailor”. Read the lyrics for a not so nice version of time spent at sea. Good or bad out there, I still love it! 🙂
“Sail On Sailor”
I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean Through restful waters and deep commotion Often frightened, unenlightened Sail on, sail on sailor
I wrest the waters, fight Neptune’s waters Sail through the sorrows of life’s marauders Unrepenting, often empty Sail on, sail on sailor
Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail Bought like a crust of bread, but oh do I wail
Seldom stumble, never crumble Try to tumble, life’s a rumble Feel the stinging I’ve been given Never ending, unrelenting Heartbreak searing, always fearing Never caring, persevering Sail on, sail on, sailor
I work the seaways, the gale-swept seaways Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters Uninspired, drenched and tired Wail on, wail on, sailor
Always needing, even bleeding Never feeding all my feelings Damn the thunder, must I blunder There’s no wonder all I’m under Stop the crying and the lying And the sighing and my dying
Sail on, sail on sailor Sail on, sail on sailor Sail on, sail on sailor Sail on, sail on sailor Sail on, sail on sailor Sail on, sail on sailor Sail on, sail on sailor
Something a little different. It’s not a ‘Song of the Sea”, but just plain, good music. I love all different kinds of music: blues, bluegrass, reggae, old rock and roll, classical, alternative country, pretty much everything except rap, heavy metal and opera.
I especially like music that tells a story with the lyrics. I love singers who can write a good song that means something.
Lucinda Williams is one of my favorite singer/songwriters. This whole album is great. I love this song!
I’ve been in Houston the last couple of days at the DP Conference. I don’t know why, but maybe it’s because I might not have a boat to go back to for a while, but I was really thinking about sailing tonight. Jimmy Buffett was always one of my favorite songwriters and this is a good song (Crosby, Stills & Nash did it first).
I really wish I could just chuck it all and go sail around the world!!!!!
I’ve really been falling behind with posts in my ‘Songs of the Sea’ series. Sorry to have left you all hanging, but on this vessel I just haven’t had the internet access I need to keep up with my blog or anything else.
I found this video in my drafts tonight, just trying to see if I could find something quick to post. I hope you like it. 🙂
Here’s another for my Songs of the Sea series. I’m not really sure what to say about this one. Is it electronica? It’s not the kind of thing I usually listen to, but I really liked the video. Some of those guys really looked like they were getting into the groove. 😉
You people can watch while I’m scrubbing these floors And I’m scrubbin’ the floors while you’re gawking Maybe once ya tip me and it makes ya feel swell In this crummy Southern town In this crummy old hotel But you’ll never guess to who you’re talkin’. No. You couldn’t ever guess to who you’re talkin’.Then one night there’s a scream in the night And you’ll wonder who could that have been And you see me kinda grinnin’ while I’m scrubbin’ And you say, “What’s she got to grin?” I’ll tell you.There’s a ship The Black Freighter With a skull on its masthead Will be coming in
You gentlemen can say, “Hey gal, finish them floors! Get upstairs! What’s wrong with you! Earn your keep here! You toss me your tips And look out to the ships But I’m counting your heads As I’m making the beds Cuz there’s nobody gonna sleep here, honey Nobody Nobody!
Then one night there’s a scream in the night And you say, “Who’s that kicking up a row?” And ya see me kinda starin’ out the winda And you say, “What’s she got to stare at now?” I’ll tell ya.
There’s a ship The Black Freighter Turns around in the harbor Shootin’ guns from her bow
Now You gentlemen can wipe off that smile off your face Cause every building in town is a flat one This whole frickin’ place will be down to the ground Only this cheap hotel standing up safe and sound And you yell, “Why do they spare that one?” Yes. That’s what you say. “Why do they spare that one?”
All the night through, through the noise and to-do You wonder who is that person that lives up there? And you see me stepping out in the morning Looking nice with a ribbon in my hair
And the ship The Black Freighter Runs a flag up its masthead And a cheer rings the air
By noontime the dock Is a-swarmin’ with men Comin’ out from the ghostly freighter They move in the shadows Where no one can see And they’re chainin’ up people And they’re bringin’ em to me Askin’ me, “Kill them NOW, or LATER?” Askin’ ME! “Kill them now, or later?”
Noon by the clock And so still by the dock You can hear a foghorn miles away And in that quiet of death I’ll say, “Right now. Right now!”
Then they’ll pile up the bodies And I’ll say, “That’ll learn ya!”
And the ship The Black Freighter Disappears out to sea And On It Is Me
Here’s another little sea chantey to add to your musical collection. It’s done by Key & Peele, 2 funny guys who used to be on MADtv (which I loved). I really used to love MAD magazine when I was a kid, but the ones they’re coming out with now are nowhere near as funny as they used to be (and no, it’s not just because I’m getting older!).
This sketch somehow manages to be both a little risque’ and PC at the same time. 😉
Pirate Chantey– Key & Peele
“Thar once was a lass so fine, She was drunk on Barleywine, I’d been (out) to sea for a month or three, I knew I could make her mine. But the lass was past consent, So it was off with her we went, And we threw her in bed and we rested her head, And we left cuz that’s what Gentlemen do…
A woman has a right to a drink or two, Without worryin’ about what you will do! We say Yo-HO but we don’t say ‘ho,’ Cuz ‘ho’ is disrespectful, yo.
Thar once was a girl from Leeds, Who I heard was good on her knees, So I docked my ship for an overnight trip, To take care of all of my needs. She was fine as the tales did tell, And my mast began to swell, So I laid her down and I raised her gown, And performed cunnilingus for an hour or so.
Always take care of yer lady fair, Cuz they deserve as much attention down there! We say Yo-HO but we don’t say ‘ho,’ Cuz ‘ho’ is disrespectful, yo.
I once had a woman so fair, Whose whom contained my heir, With a son by my side, the seas we’d ride, The child she would bear. But my woman she was no fool, She was working her way through school, So I did support when she chose to abort, Because it’s her body and therefor her choice.
No we don’t say ‘booty’ ‘less we talkin’ ’bout gold, and we don’t look at chests ‘less they’s treasure-holds! With a hat and a feather and a cutlass on our hip, We don’t say ‘she’ when we’re talking ’bout a ship! We don’t say ‘bitch’ and we don’t say ‘whore,’ Cuz that language leads to things like body dysmorphia.
Thar was a lady with a golden eye, And the doctor said she would die, So she emptied her purse to lift the curse, And prayed to stay alive. She awoke the very next day, And in her grave she lay, But the scariest part of the story from the start, Is I bet you assumed the doctor was a man.
Women are doctors too, And for a fraction of the doubloons! We say Yo-HO but we don’t say ‘ho,’ Cuz ‘ho’ is disrespectful, yo.
Thar was a slut with tits to here, and an ass that- (gunshot. he is dead and that is good.)
Cuz it’s Yo-HO but we don’t say ‘ho,’ Cuz ‘ho’ is disrespectful, yo.”
Here’s another new challenge from Cee, this one is easy. 😉 Just need to have more than 5 of anything. Here’s a shot of -more than 5- woven straw baskets.
I took this at the Houston International Festival the last time I went. I always enjoy it. There is always so much to see and do. They have fantastic music (live bands) and food. They have booths with stuff from all over the world. This picture was from a booth in the ‘African’ area.
Last year they were going to file for bankruptcy. I don’t know if they’ll have it again. If they don’t it will be a real loss for Houston and I will definitely miss it.
I haven’t been posting this series for the last couple of weeks. It’s hard to find time to look around for the music videos while I’m offshore. The internet is usually not the best, we don’t have enough bandwidth and they don’t want us looking at videos. I found this one in my stored posts. It’s a bit different from the kind of stuff I usually listen to. Let me know how you like it. 🙂
Ode to a Sailor- Rachel Sage
I’ve been sitting on the ground Much to everyone’s surprise People say I’m getting dirty But I would rather kiss the soil Than be crippled by disguise Better down to earth than pretty
In the ash I see passion In the dust I see trust I will turn this ship around And if everything crashes I will burn if I must I will turn this ship around
I’ve been swimming in your sky Waiting for the tide to turn To something beautiful and true And you’ve been swallowing my life From a distance you have earned Every right to know I feel you.
In the ash I see passion In the dust I see trust I will turn this ship around Do you think I’m old fashioned ‘Cause I miss you this much I will turn this ship around
I’ve been buried in the sand Waiting for the sun to beat Down upon my back like lava And I’ve been hoping for your hands To caress my soul to sleep Fill me up with your kabbalah
In the ash I see passion In the dust I see trust I will turn this ship around And if everything crashes I will burn if I must I will turn this ship around
I found this video the other day when I was fiddling around looking for something else by this band. I really love Donna the Buffalo. I have a couple of their albums at home. I just got a new ipod (since I lost my old one somewhere) and I don’t have any music or anything on it yet. I was trying to find some good stuff to play.
I love this song. The words, the music, the story, and the video too. I saw that video and it reminded me so much of home. Not where I live now, but where I grew up in Florida. It was filmed in Marathon, down in the keys. My dad took the Island Girl down that way for a few years and I stayed there one summer with him.
I had a blast! The video brought back a lot of good memories. Fishing, diving, hanging out at the Dockside bar, sailing, hanging out watching the sunset with so many interesting fun characters.
It’s a sad song too, and all too true. Florida is not much like it was when I grew up there. “Progress came”…
Seminole Winds by John Anderson Ever since the days of old men would search for wealth untold They dig for silver and for gold and leave the empty holes And way down south in the Everglades Where the black water rolls and the Saw grass waves The eagles fly and the otters play in the land of the Seminole
So blow blow Seminole wind blow like your never gonna blow again I’m calling to you like a long lost friend but I know who you are And blow blow from the Okeechobee all the way up to Micanopy Blow cross the home of the Seminole the alligators and the gar
Progress came and took its toll and in the name of flood control They make their plans and they drained the land Now the glades are going dry And the last time I walked in the swamp I sat upon a cypress stump I listened close and I heard the ghost of Osceola cry
My recent post (re-blogged from Indian Rocks Bridge) about climbing aloft on the Sorlandet got me thinking of those beautiful square riggers. I found this video yesterday. I love the pictures! Such beautiful ships!! It’s a traditional song but has recently been ‘discovered’ (at least according to some of the musical forums). Here’s a shanty to listen to the next time you’re getting underway. 😉
Farewell Shanty
It’s time to go now Haul away your anchor (x2) ‘Tis our sailing time
Get some sail upon her Haul away your halyards (x2) ‘Tis our sailing time
Get her on her course now Haul away your foresheets (x2) ‘Tis our sailing time
Waves are surging under Haul away down-channel (x2) On the evening tide
When my days are over Haul away for Heaven (x2) God be by my side (x2)
PS- the Statsraad Lehmkuhl is another of the ships the Oceanics School chartered for our sailtraining. I missed this one too. 🙁 I got to sail the Ariadne and the brigantine Phoenix. They were all beautiful ships but not quite the same experience as to sail a full rigged ship.
Maybe I’ll do a couple of posts explaining the different ship types (sail plans). Would you like that? In the meantime, here’s a link to a site one of my classmates put online about our school. If you look closely, you can see me in some of the photos. Yeah, I still look pretty much the same. 🙂
This is such a beautiful song. It was a favorite in the 60’s when Bob Dylan and Joan Baez performed it. Joan Baez does the song with the Indigo Girls in this version. It’s still a beautiful song even tho they don’t play it on the radio anymore.
(The lyrics are slightly different in this version.)
The Water Is Wide- traditional, performed by Joan Baez (and the Indigo Girls)
The water is wide, I cannot get over Neither have I wings to fly Give me a boat that can carry two And both shall cross my true love and I
I leaned my back against an oak Thinking it was a mighty tree But first it bent and then it broke So did my love prove false to me
I put my hand in some soft bush Thinking the sweetest flower to find I pricked my finger to the bone And left the sweetest flower behind
Oh, love is handsome and love is kind Gay as a jewel when it is new But love grows old and waxes cold And fades away like the morning dew
The water is wide, I cannot get over Neither have I wings to fly Give me a boat that can carry two And both shall cross my true love and I
I thought this was about sharks, you know, the kind that swim in the sea. But actually, it’s about a different kind of shark. The kind that lives on land. The kind we REALLY need to worry about.
I never heard this group (Wailing Souls) before, but I love this song. I really love reggae music anyway, and this song has lyrics worth paying attention to. The video reminded me of a great book I read a few years ago.
It’s called Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. Anyone who’s interested in what’s going on in the world today will get a real education if they read it. I thought it was a great book and should be taught in all our schools (but of course that will NEVER happen!).
I know most of you absolutely HATE it when I start going off on politics and my philosophy of liberty and freedom for all. But I’m hoping it’s a short enough video you might just take a look.
Let me know what you think. Of the music. And the video (the political one- the one by Perkins!) 😉
Shark Attack- Wailing Soul
When you hear this ya one Wailing Soul you know fe true yeah man When you hear this ya one ya Wailing Soul you no fe joke (repeat)
Better stop this cultural diffusion Spreading fear & confusion Playing cloak & dagger wars Losing what you fighting for
Back back, coming with a double attack Step back, here comes the shark attack (x2)
What more do they want? They have got all they need Yet they turn their backs On the hands that feeds them
Back back, coming with a double attack Step back, here comes the shark attack (x2)
Wo wo wo wo yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yes it’s a new world order, oh yeah Another new world order, oh yeah A wicked world order, oh yeah A new world order, oh yeah
Back back, coming with a double attack Step back, here comes the shark attack (x2)
Better stop this cultural diffusion Spreading fear & confusion Playing cloak & dagger wars Losing what you fighting for
Back back, coming with a double attack Step back, here comes the shark attack (x2)
Wo wo wo wo yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yes it’s a new world order, oh yeah Another new world order, oh yeah A crucial world order, oh yeah A wicked world order, oh yeah
Back back, coming with a double attack Step back, here comes the shark attack (x2)
Wo wo wo wo yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah yeah Wo wo wo wo yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Yes it’s a new world order, oh yeah Another new world order, oh yeah A crucial world order, oh yeah A wicked world order, oh yeah (repeat fade)
Here’s a photo I took at the fair last year. I think it’s a good one for this challenge (Motion) from the Daily Post. I always try to go when I’m home from the ship. I don’t usually go on the rides anymore, but I love to see all the people wandering around, listen to the music, and pig out on the junk food! 😉
Here’s a photo I took in New Orleans. I think it’s a good one for this challenge (Motion) from the Daily Post. I loved watching this couple dance and listen to the band play in the street. New Orleans is really great for this kind of thing. 🙂
It’s not really blurry, but I hope you can get the idea of motion anyway. The couple was really dancing up a storm (swing, jitterbug, etc.), the musicians were all tapping their toes and swaying to the music and everyone was having a great time.
I didn’t think to buy a CD from this band, I wish I remembered their name. But I did get one from another one that was playing further up the street. Here’s a post I did about that one. Check it out, the music’s worth a listen. 😉
I’ve always loved this song. Maybe because I always loved the ocean and everything in it. I also love to SCUBA dive and thanks to Cousteau for that!! I’ve been lucky to always live near the ocean and even to work on the water. 🙂
John Denver wrote this song as a tribute to Jacques Cousteau and his expedition ship “Calypso”. I think he did a good job (I wish the youtube video was better!).
I remember watching Jacques Cousteau on TV when I was a kid. I loved seeing his voyages on the Calypso.
I thought about this song when I saw the post on the Old Salt Blog the other day about the sad situation the Calypso is in now.
I hope someone will come to her rescue.
In the meantime, here are the lyrics to the song (in case you want to sing along).
“Calypso”
To sail on a dream on a crystal clear ocean, to ride on the crest of the wild raging storm. To work in the service of life and the living, in search of the answers to questions unknown. To be part of the movement and part of the growing, part of beginning to understand. Aye, Calypso, the place’s you’ve been to, the things that you’ve shown us, the stories you tell. Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit, the men who have served you so long and so well.
Like the dolphin who guides you, you bring us beside you to light up the darkness and show us the way. For though we are strangers in your silent world, to live on the land we must learn from the sea. To be true as the tide and free as a wind swell, joyful and loving in letting it be. Aye, Calypso, the place’s you’ve been to, the things that you’ve shown us, the stories you tell. Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit, the men who have served you so long and so well. Aye, Calypso, the place’s you’ve been to, the things that you’ve shown us, the stories you tell. Aye, Calypso, I sing to your spirit, the men who have served you so long and so well.
Here’s an interesting link to Jessica’s blog where she gives a very good rundown on Jacques Cousteau and his Calypso (along with some diving to whet your whistle). And another one on Cousteau. Check ’em out! 🙂
This is a classic song from the maritime industry. Gordon Lightfoot wrote and performed it and it was a big hit back in the 60’s. It’s about the sinking of the ‘Laker’ SS Edmund Fitzgerald in a winter storm almost 40 years ago (November 1975).
She was the pride of the Lakes fleet and it was such a tragedy when she went down. Lost with all hands aboard. It almost makes me cry sometimes when I pay attention to what he’s saying. We can never forget the power of the sea.
This is a sad song, but it’s also a good one. What do you think?
Jimmy Buffett is one of my all time favorite singer-songwriters. I grew up on the beach in Florida and his songs really captured the essence of the beach lifestyle. I loved his music then. I love it even more now, since it reminds me so much of all the things I miss so much. I can picture this ‘one particular harbor’ easily in my mind. Here’s another Song of the Sea…
One particular harbour By: jimmy buffett, bobby holcomb 1983 Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei
I know I don’t get there often enough But God knows I surely try It’s a magic kind of medicine That no doctor could prescribe
I used to rule my world from a pay phone Ships out on the sea But now times are rough And I got too much stuff Can’t explain likes of me
Chorus: But there’s this one particular harbour So far but yet so near Where I see the days as they fade away And finally disappear
But now I think about the good times Down in the caribbean sunshine In my younger days I was so bad Laughin’ about all the fun we had
I seen enough to feel the world spin Mixin’ different oceans meetin’ cousins Listen to the drummers and the night sounds Listen to the singers make the world go ’round
(pan solo)
Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei
Lakes below the mountain Flow into the sea Like oils applied to canvas They permeate through me
And there’s that one particular harbour Sheltered from the wind Where the children play on the shore each day And all are safe within
Most mysterious calling harbour So far but yet so near I can see the day when my hair’s full gray And I finally disappear
Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei
Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei Ia ora te natura (ua pau te maitai no te fenua) E mea arofa teie ao nei
Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei Ia ora te natura (ua pau te maitai no te fenua) E mea arofa teie ao nei, hey now, hey now, hey now
Ia ora te natura E mea arofa teie ao nei
Ua pau te maitai no te fenua [bounty of the land is exhausted] Te zai noa ra te ora o te mitie [but there’s still abundance in the sea] Ua pau te maitai no te fenua Te zai noa ra te ora o te mitie
I never heard this before. I was looking around on youtube for some more ‘salty’ type music and stumbled on it. I think both the singing and the video are beautiful.
And it actually does remind me of the elves. 🙂
I just went last week to see the latest move (The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies). I loved the actors, the scenery was gorgeous, the story was good. I was really more into the characters in this movie than the battles, the “big picture”. This one is supposed to be the last, but it left me wanting more.
I LOVE that story (the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, etc).
For some reason this song has been running through my head for the last couple of days. “On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson is a classic country song by a classic country singer (he’s from Texas). At 81, he’s still going strong. 🙂
PS- If you want to sing along, the lyrics are playing along at the bottom of the video. 😉
Here’s some nice, mellow music to start the new year. It’s an instrumental by Songs of Water. I don’t usually listen to this kind of thing. I really like the stories they tell in some songs. I prefer songs with someone singing words I understand- which eliminates most rap songs and opera. 😉
Another classic sailing song. No, it’s not really about the sea, but it’s close enough for me. It’s about hanging out on the beach, chillin’ out in some tropical place, drinking. margaritas and enjoying life. My kind of song! 🙂
Yeah! Margaritas!!
Margaritaville- Jimmy Buffett
Nibbling on sponge cake, watching the sun bake, All of those tourists covered with oil, Strumming my six string, on my front porch swing, Smell those shrimp, they’re beginning to boil.
Wasting away again in Margaritaville, Searching for my lost shaker of salt, Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, But I know it’s nobody’s fault.
Don’t know the reason that I stayed here all season, With nothing to show but this brand new tattoo, But it’s a real beauty, a Mexican cutie, How it got here I haven’t a clue.
Wasting away again in Margaritaville, Searching for my lost shaker of salt, Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, Now I think, hell it could be my fault.
Blew out my flip flop, stepped on a poptop Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home, But there’s booze in the blender, And soon it will render, That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.
Wasting away again in Margaritaville, Searching for my lost shaker of salt, Some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, But I know, it’s my own damn fault.
Yes, some people claim that there’s a woman to blame, And I know it’s my own damn fault.
“Good Ship Venus“, also known as “Friggin’ in the Riggin'” is a little nasty, so if you’re easily offended, you might want to pass on this one. But it’s one of my favorite drinking songs.
I didn’t know this til I looked up the lyrics to post here, but this song was done by the Sex Pistols and actually got to #3 on the charts in the UK. Anthrax also did a version. Somehow, I don’t think it would make the charts here in the US (probably would be censored- love that freedom we have so much of here).
Good Ship Venus- Loudon Wainwright
We sailed upon the good ship Venus By Christ you should have seen us The figurehead was a whore in bed The mast an upright penis
The captain’s name was Lugger By Christ he was a bugger He wasn’t fit to shovel shit From one ship to another
And the second mate was Andy By Christ he had a dandy Till they crushed his cock on a jagged rock For cumming in the brandy
The third mate’s name was Morgan By God he was a gorgon From half past eight he played till late Upon the captain’s organ
The captain’s wife was Mabel And by God was she able The crew, those shits, nailed her tits Right to the mess room table
The captain’s daughter Charlotte Was born and bred a harlot Her thighs at night were lily white By morning they were scarlet
The cabin boy was Kipper By Christ he was a nipper He stuffed his ass with broken glass And circumcised the skipper
The captain’s lovely daughter Liked swimming in the water Delighted squeals came when some eels Found her sexual quarters
The cook his name was Freeman And he was a dirty demon And he fed the crew on menstrual stew And hymens fried in semen
And the ship’s dog was called Rover And we turned the poor thing over And ground and ground that faithful hound From Teneriff to Dover
When we reached our station Through skillful navigation The ship got sunk in a wave of spunk From too much fornication
On the good ship Venus By Christ you should have seen us The figurehead was a whore in bed Sucking a dead man’s penis
At first I thought it said movement, but then I saw it was really moment, but the assignment (Day 13) is still to play around with blur and movement. I think there are a lot of ways to interpret this one. 🙂
I’m still stuck in class all day and it’s way too cold out here for me to go out (and I have no transportation either), so I’ve been picking out old photos to try and illustrate the themes for the challenges.
Here’s a photo I took in New Orleans last winter. I loved watching this couple dance and listen to the band play in the street. New Orleans is really great for this kind of thing. 🙂
It’s not really blurry, but I hope you can get the idea of motion anyway. The couple was really dancing up a storm (swing, jitterbug, etc.), the musicians were all tapping their toes and swaying to the music and everyone was having a great time.
I didn’t think to buy a CD from this band, I wish I remembered their name. But I did get one from another one that was playing further up the street. Here’s a post I did about that one. Check it out, the music’s worth a listen. 😉
