[Intro – lone organ, creaking hull]
[Captain – gravelly, quiet]
Wake up, boys.
And keep your hands off the cannons.
We ain’t alone.
[Low guitar enters]
[Verse 1]
Morning came without the sun,
Gray fog across the tide.
No wind moved upon the deck,
Yet something sailed beside.
A broken mast rose through the mist,
Then another further out.
Rotten sails and shattered hulls,
No living souls about.
Then through the fog came dozens more,
Silent as the grave.
Ships that sank a hundred years
Now rode upon the wave.
[Crew – whispered]
Captain…
They’re dead.
[Captain]
Aye.
And they’re keeping pace.
[Pre-Chorus – organ building]
No cannon fired.
No warning bell.
No voices crossed the foam.
Just dead men standing on their decks…
A thousand miles from home.
[Chorus – gang shanty, heavy organ]
THE DEAD SAIL BESIDE US!
BLACK SHIPS UPON THE TIDE!
NO WIND INSIDE THEIR ROTTEN SAILS,
NO HEARTS BEATIN’ INSIDE!
THE DEAD SAIL BESIDE US!
THEY KNOW THE FLAG WE FLY!
WE STOLE OUR SOULS BEYOND THE VEIL—
NOW THE DAMNED HAVE COME TO RIDE!
[Heavy riff – organ answers]
[Verse 2]
One ghost stood upon his bow,
A cutlass in his hand.
Half his face was bone and ash,
His feet would never land.
He slowly raised one rotten arm
And pointed toward our sail.
Then every corpse on every ship
Began the same damn wail.
[Dead Sailors – distant]
RETURN…
RETURN…
RETURN…
[Crew]
Return what?
[Captain – low]
Our lives.
[Organ surge]
The sea beneath us turned to black,
The compass spun around.
Yet every ghost ship matched our course
Without a single sound.
[Chorus – heavier]
THE DEAD SAIL BESIDE US!
THE FOG IS FULL OF EYES!
THE ONES WHO NEVER LEFT THE DEEP
HAVE COME TO CLAIM THEIR PRIZE!
THE DEAD SAIL BESIDE US!
BUT WE AIN’T DEAD AGAIN!
LET EVERY GHOST REMEMBER THIS—
WE’RE STILL GODDAMNED MEN!
[Breakdown – crushing organ and dubstep]
[Captain – spoken]
Listen well, you drowned bastards.
We crossed your waters.
We walked your shores.
And when Death tried keeping us…
We stole ourselves back.
[Pause]
You want us?
COME ABOARD.
[Massive bass drop]
[Crew]
DEAD!
[Drop]
OR!
[Organ strike]
ALIVE!
[Drop]
WE!
STILL!
SAIL!
[Bridge – ghostly shanty]
[Dead Sailors]
Come below…
Come below…
Where no living sailor goes…
[Crew – answering]
NOT TODAY!
NOT TONIGHT!
BLACK FLAG SAILS INTO THE FIGHT!
[Organ and guitar rising]
[Final Chorus – full band]
THE DEAD SAIL BESIDE US!
LET EVERY SPIRIT SEE!
WE FEAR NO GRAVE!
WE FEAR NO DEATH!
WE FEAR NO CURSED SEA!
THE DEAD SAIL BESIDE US!
[Captain]
Let ’em follow.
[Crew]
BLACK FLAG HIGH!
[Outro – organ fading]
[Captain – quiet]
They’re not following, boys.
They’re waiting.