15 men on the dead man's chest
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
the mate was fixed on the boson's pike
the boson brained on a marlinspike
and cookie's throat was marked belike
it had been gripped by fingers ten
and there they lay all good dead men
like break o day in a boozing ken
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
15 men on a whole ships list
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
dead and be damned and the rest gone whist
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
(now) the skipper lay with his nob in gore
where the scullions axe his cheek had shore
and the scullion he was stabbed times four
and there they lay in the soggy skies
dripped all day long in upstarin eyes
a murk sunset and a foulsunrise
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
15 men of em stiff and stark
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
10 of the crew bore the murder mark
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce o lead
or a yawing hole in a battered head
and the skuppers glut was a rotting red
and there they lay aye damn me eyes
all lookouts clapped on paradise
all sould bound just contrariwise
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
15 men of em good and true
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
every man jack could have sailed with old Pew
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
there was chest on chest full of Spanish gold
and a ton o plate in the middle hold
and the capts riot of loot untold
there they lay what had took the plum
with sightless glare and lips struck dumb
while we shared all byt he rule of thumb
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
More was seen thru the sternlight screen
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
chartings no doubt where a woman had been
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
twas a flimsy shift on a bunker cot
with a thin dirk slot thru the bosum spot
and the lace stiff dry in a purplish blot
was she a wench some shuddering maid
what dared for gold and took the blade
by god she was stuff for a plucky jade
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Now 15 men on the dead man' chest
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
drink and the devil had done for the rest
yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
(well) we wrapped em all in a mainsail tight
with twice ten turns of a hawser's bite
and we heaved em over and out o sight
with a yo heave ho and a fare ya well
in a sullen plunge and a sullen swell
ten fathoms deep on the road to hell