I tell ye ‘bout me father he was a cautious man
An’ in es’ small saloon there was a man called Scurvy Dan
His speech was solely curses and his songs they chilled me bones
He sang bout haunted galleys he sang bout Davey Jones
An’ late at night the song turned into a quite seditious moan
Yo-ho! Hi ho! All rise against the gov’nor!
But he was found by stately men and sure they had him hang
With me stayed tales of sea and the words he often sang
But this song is ‘bout me father who was a cautious man
Who got in loads of trouble for keeping Scurvy Dan
Who all the way to hangman’s gate before me as I ran
Cried - Yo-ho! Hi ho! All rise against the gov’nor!
I tell ye ‘bout me father he was a cautious man
E’ said just do yer labour as tidy as ye can
But on the day the royal crown took away his land
Not he nor any cautious man took an honest stand
But I a lad of 14 years I shouted like man
Yo-ho! Hi ho! All rise against the gov’nor!
An’ I was thrown in jail of course me age had saved me neck
But I escaped to open sea to swab a schooners deck
An’ soon I learned for sure this worlds’ no place for cautious men
And I - I made a name fer me at the local pirate den
And soon all rats that sail the sea they knew of Scurvy Ben
Yo-ho! Hi ho! All rise against the gov’nor!
An’ I returned to Port Royal with quite a bulky fleet
There was one man that I fer sure was very keen to meet
In hours we had crushed their ships and stormed up to the fort
And fought of cautious men at arms of the lowest sort
Then I was injured and enclosed on the dusty court
Cry’in - Yo-ho! Hi ho! All rise against the gov’nor!
They hacked away and fired shots and I was surely doomed
But then some loud bangs reached me ears and a man above me loomed
There stood me sturdy father no more a cautious man
The grimmest smile upon his face, a musket in his hand
He grabbed me hand, he pat me back, he dragged me to me feet
Cryin- Yo-ho! Hi ho! All rise against the gov’nor!
An’ with new strength an’ side by side we breached the wooden door
Our sabres gleamed, our pistols cracked and soon there on the floor
Lay that bilge rat gov’nor in a heap of silk and gore
An’ out there in the twilight gleam rose a rhythmic roar
The whole towns men was in the street voicing our shout of war
supported by 18 fans who also own “'Bout me Father”
This might be my favourite of Heilung. They've improved a bit on their later releases but their debut is still much meaner, and darker. Maria's amazing voice obviously steals the show but I also quite like Kai's too, especially on the live performance. In fact I'd say get LIFA over this IMO.
The spoken word bits are really cool to hear proto-germanic in use but for relistening purposes they are going to be a bit obtrusive. Nevertheless the proper music here is on continual repeat for me. Rabbit
Beautifully played and full of moving vocal performances, the Bay Area singer/songwriter's latest is a stellar work of art. Bandcamp Album of the Day Feb 3, 2023
supported by 13 fans who also own “'Bout me Father”
i like this version better than the original. The middle part has that aggression that makes the excellent balance with the beginning and ending of the song. owlobo