Prompt / Lyrics
[Verse 1] There’s a rusted bell on the harbor wall Green with years and salt We were just fools with an empty hold And a list of debts to halt Captain swore on a chipped tin cup “We sail ’til we break that spell” Wind said “go” and the gulls said “go” So we rang that rusted bell [Chorus] (Heave, ho) for the rusted bell Ring it hard Shake off the spell Storm or calm We rise We yell We’re bound by the sound of the rusted bell (Heave, ho) let the old tales swell Raise your voice You know them well If the sea wants souls She’ll have to yell To drown out the roar of the rusted bell [Verse 2] First trip out Took a king’s lost chain From a reef of broken glass Sand in our teeth Blood on the rope Still we laughed it off and passed Second run Found a painted chest Filled with letters never sent Read them out loud in the lantern light Till the whole damned crew went bent [Chorus] (Heave, ho) for the rusted bell Ring it hard Shake off the spell Storm or calm We rise We yell We’re bound by the sound of the rusted bell (Heave, ho) let the old tales swell Raise your voice You know them well If the sea wants souls She’ll have to yell To drown out the roar of the rusted bell [Bridge] One day soon we’ll be bones and names Scratched in a tavern door But that crooked bell on the harbor wall Will sing us home once more So drink to the crew and the cursed old swell And the lives we lived half-right For every lost fool who ever rang hell Let that rusted bell ring bright (hey!) [Chorus] (Heave, ho) for the rusted bell Ring it hard Shake off the spell Storm or calm We rise We yell We’re bound by the sound of the rusted bell (Heave, ho) let the old tales swell Raise your voice You know them well If you hear that clang from the harbor’s shell You’re sailing again with the rusted bell
Tags
Rousing modern sea shanty, male vocals in a hearty gang-sing style. Stomps and claps lock with a rolling floor tom groove, fiddle and accordion trading riffs over a droning low whistle. Verses stay sparse for storytelling; choruses explode with stacked harmonies and call-and-response chants. Subtle creak-of-ship ambience and crowd shouts to feel like a dockside tavern sing-along., shanty
Duration
2:42
Instrumental
No
Created
2/8/2026