[Intro] [Single rough male lead, steady and proud] [Low male choir enters beneath him] They crown their heads on marble thrones, They stamp their seals and make their claims, They draw their borders on the land, And think the sea will do the same. [Verse 1] A king may own a thousand fields, A merchant own a quay, A priest may own a frightened heart, But none of them own me, The judge may write my name in black, The navy hunt me free, But law grows thin beyond the shore, And dies upon the sea. [Chorus] No king upon the sea, No crown above the foam, No lord can chain the wind itself, No throne can call it home, No king upon the sea, No master over me, The land may kneel to flags and gold, But no king rules the sea. [Verse 2] They send their ships with painted guns, Their captains dressed in red, They carry orders sealed in wax, And promises of dead, But storms don’t bow to royal blood, And cannon smoke won’t plea, The wave that drowns a beggar man Will drown a king for free. [Choir] [Fuller harmony] No throne below the horizon, No crown beneath the sky. [Verse 3] We’ve sailed beneath a dozen flags, And torn down every one, We’ve served for coin, we’ve fought for bread, We’ve fled when wars were done, But out beyond the harbour lights, Where only gulls can see, A man becomes whatever man He has the nerve to be. [Bridge] [Lead voice lower, choir sustaining beneath] So keep your laws in courthouse halls, Your taxes on the quay, Your priests, your chains, your polished boots, Your noble pedigree, We’ll take the wind, we’ll take the night, We’ll take our liberty, And if you want to own us still, Then come and cross the sea. [Chorus] No king upon the sea, No crown above the foam, No lord can chain the wind itself, No throne can call it home, No king upon the sea, No master over me, The land may kneel to flags and gold, But no king rules the sea. [Verse 4] One day they may surround us all, With powder, rope and steel, One day the mast may split in two, And death may take the wheel, But better drown with open eyes, Than live upon one knee, For chains are heavy things on land, And heavier at sea. [Final Chorus] [Whole male choir, broad and powerful, rough harmony] No king upon the sea, No crown above the foam, No lord can chain the wind itself, No throne can call it home, No king upon the sea, No master over me, The land may kneel to flags and gold, But no king rules the sea. [Final Refrain] [Choir holds long notes beneath lead] No king. No crown. No master. Only wind, Only wave, Only sea. [Outro] [Lead alone] Let kings keep all the land they like. [Choir, low] We never wanted land.
