There’s a fog rollin’ thick as porridge On the black-tide bay tonight Hear the gulls all coughin’ secrets In the pale and crooked light I’ve a map with teeth that chatter And a compass that complains It just points to buried trouble And it rattles when it rains Heave-ho! Rattle the chain! Knock on the hull and do it again! Storm’s got a grin and it’s showin’ its gums— Beat that drum till the morning comes! Yo-ho! Don’t lose your nerve! Fortune’s a wheel with a wicked curve! Laugh in the gale and spit in the brine— The sea don’t scare this crew of mine! There’s a shadow on the yardarm— (That’s just Pete!) With a hook where his hand should be— (That’s still Pete!) And he’s hummin’ through his whiskers— Sounds off-key! Let him hum! Let him howl! We’ve outrun worse than a ghost with a scowl! If the deep wants names, we’ll sign ‘em in spray— Salt in our boots and we’re sailin’ anyway! Heave-ho! Rattle the chain! Stamp on the deck till it hollers with pain! Wind’s like a fiddler that’s lost his mind— Play that tune till we’re deaf and blind! Yo-ho! Flash that grin! Luck’s just a dare with a crooked chin! Roar at the dark and clatter the cups— The sea’s just soup and we’ll drink it up! Whispers in the rigging Footsteps in the hold Something counting quietly All our bits of gold… Ah, but coins can’t swim And bones can’t steer— Only fools let fear take the gear! Who owns the tide? Who owns the foam? Who owns the fear in your rattlin’ chest? Not me! Not me! Not me! Not me! Heave-ho! Rattle the chain! Laugh at the lightning, dance in the rain! Night’s got teeth but we’ve got a song— Sing it loud and we’ll sail along! Yo-ho! Bang that tin! Let every monster know we’re in! Raise a roar that the stars can hear— We’re the scurvy kings of the hemisphere! Heave—ho— Yo—ho— Rattle that chain and away we go!
