Eurovision Song Contest
According to the website, the Latvian pirate song “is a story about the historical endeavours of our ancestors, and tells of their backbreaking lives, rebellious spirit, freedom, masculinity and tenderness while showing their patriotism and love for the planet earth, and an unquenchable thirst for adventure.”
What a shame the lyrics were written by William McGonagall.
↓ Quote | Posted 24 May, 2008, 8:14 pmI think Georgia is winning the lyrics prize so far…
*** Sometimes words kill faster than bullets do
↓ Quote | Posted 24 May, 2008, 8:16 pmAnd the face of war is never true
Kids with guns are always too young to die
Are you still so deaf to ask me why…why ***
Here’s the pirate song in its entirety:
With a hii hii hoo and a hii hii hey!
We‘re hoisting the flag to be free
We will steal the show, Jolly Rogers go
We are wolves of the sea
Don’t try to run it’s all set and done
There’s treasure in sight
We are robbing you blind I hope you don’t mind
We are taking it all tonight
Just walk away we’ll count it all
Pirates will stand and the loser will fall
With a hii hii hoo and a hii hii hey
We’re bound to be close to the sea
Our captain will stand on the bridge and sing
Pirates are all we can be
With a hii hii hoo and a hii hii hey!
We‘re hoisting the flag to be free
We will steal the show, Jolly Rogers go
We are wolves of the sea
Down to the core we’re coming for more
With a sword close at hand
We are scary and bold chest full of gold
We get sealegs when sighting land
The hook of our captain is looking at you
There’s no Peter Pan so what can you do
With a hii hii hoo and a hii hii hey!
↓ Quote | Posted 24 May, 2008, 8:18 pmWe‘re hoisting the flag to be free
We will steal the show, Jolly Rogers go
We are wolves of the sea
Which reminds me irresistably of Sid Kipper’s “Combing The Mane”
I sailed on a Yankee clipper ship,
With a hey, and a ho, together;
To the Barbary coast we took a trip,
And isn’t it awful weather?
With many a close shave we sailed wide,
We trimmed and set our sails beside;
Oh our success looked cut and dried;
With a hey, and a ho, and a wash and go,
As we combed the Spanish Mane.
There was Pigatail Pete and Razor Ruff,
With a hey, and a ho, my wee friends;
There was young Al Opecia and old Dan Druff,
And anything for the weekend?
Our brave hands from none would cringe,
We teased the Dutch and the Celtic fringe,
And the King of Spain, his beard we singed;
With a hey, and a ho, and a wash and go,
As we combed the Spanish Mane.
Now our captain’s name was Cut-throat Tarquin,
Hey, ho, blue bonnets,
And we would have dyed any colour for him,
And would you like something on it?
The ugliest customer brought no fear,
From female cabin boy to old blue beard -
Until we met with a bald privateer;
With a hey, and a ho, and a wash and go,
As we combed the Spanish Mane.
“Ahoy”, he cried, “You livery lot”,
With a hey, and a ho, brown trousers;
“An appointment now with me you’ve got,
And I’m ready for to do you now, Sir”.
We lowered our cutters and raised a froth,
His crew we cut with blades aloft,
And that bald privateer, we polished him off;
With a hey, and a ho, and a wash and go,
As we combed the Spanish Mane.
Now the Cut Above is our brigantyne,
With a hey, and a ho, and a hey now;
She’s the finest ship of the whole Hair Line,
And be sure and have a nice day now.
With magazines of the highest grade,
Without a fear we’ll ply our trade,
Until the final parting’s made;
With a hey, and a ho, and a wash and go,
As we combed the Spanish Mane.
Copyright Chris Sugden, 1993.
↓ Quote | Posted 25 May, 2008, 5:38 pmOne of the finest rhymes in all of the world’s songs is from “Pirate Smith of Bristol”:
And hanging from his lanyards
Were Portuguese and Spaniards…
What’s interesting about that couplet is that there’s another song to the same tune, in the Irish republican tradition, which has an equally good rhyme at the same spot:
Some rebel youths with placards
Had called his army blackguards…
Which isn’t bad at all.
↓ Quote | Posted 25 May, 2008, 6:10 pmWould “placards” and “blackguards” be contemporaneous with one another?
↓ Quote | Posted 27 May, 2008, 7:00 amNot especially: “placard” is fine; “blackguard” a little bit old-fashioned. But fine for the purposes of securing the excellent rhyme.
↓ Quote | Posted 27 May, 2008, 9:11 amStill inferior to the Bosnia + Herzegovina entry, which was about “how people do not come from monkeys, but from love”, and featured knitting nuns, the male singer leaping out of a basket of washing, and a live chicken…
↓ Quote | Posted 2 June, 2008, 8:04 pmIn that case you’re probably the kind of person who enjoyed Austria’s 2003 entry, “Man is the Measure”.
Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGDeIC78Gqw
Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/eurovision/2003/contestants/austria.shtml
↓ Quote | Posted 4 June, 2008, 10:21 am