Pirate Song

I walked outside one day
And a man was standing there
He had a great big beard
And lots and lots of hair
He said won’t you come down to the shore
And join my jolly crew
And we’ll wander round the world
Beneath the skies of blue

We’ll sail upon the seven seas
Travel near and far
Take from the rich and give to the poor
And say har, har, har, har

We’ll go out on the ocean
And when the coast is clear
We’ll eat birthday cake
Each day of the year
We’ll land on a little island
And then we’ll form a choir
Blow on whistles and kazoos
And dance around a fire

Chorus

If we see the Navy
We will shout with pride
We are scary hairy pirates
So you better run and hide
We’ll stamp our feet upon the floor
And our peg legs too
We’ll take your stolen treasure
‘Cause that’s what pirates do

Chorus

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Sheet music:
Pirate Song

“The Pirate Song” is more or less the title track of my first CD of children’s music (Har Har Har, 2007).

Pirates are romanticized, but they’ve also gotten a bad rap over the centuries as well.  I think if you look at what really happened and who they really were and are, if you have to choose between romanticizing or vilifying, the former option is more appropriate.  For lots more fascinating information on pirates in history, I highly recommend Marcus Rediker’s book about the Golden Age of Piracy, Villains of All Nations.

Since I wrote this song I have been very happy to discover that good songs about pirates that are intended for a young audience are in high demand.  This song has been covered and used in school plays, videos and other productions around the world.