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Lyrics
[Intro]
[Low humming
Crew in unison
Then one voice steps out]
[Verse 1]
Black sails off Ushant
Dawn runnin’ pale
Powder in the barrels
Rum thin as hail
King’s flag above us
Pay thin as air
Thirty press-gang brothers and a captain’s stare
[Chorus]
Heave
Boys
Heave
To the devil or the crown
Pull that world of water down
Heave
Boys
Heave
Let the gray sea judge
For the tide takes all
And the tide won’t budge
[Verse 2]
Gun smoke at noon
And the gulls flew low
Iron in the thunder
Splinters in the snow
“Board her!” the cry
Then the cold steel sang
And the bright red river from the dead rail ran
[Chorus]
Heave
Boys
Heave
To the devil or the crown
Pull that world of water down
Heave
Boys
Heave
Let the gray sea judge
For the tide takes all
And the tide won’t budge
[Bridge]
Names on a muster
Gone like foam
Letters in pockets that never saw home
Prayers in the bilge where the dark rats feed
Only thing that answered was the creak and the bleed (ohhh)
[Verse 3]
Storm found us grinnin’ at the edge of war
Hull broke open like a tavern door
Captain went prayin’ while the mainmast cracked
We just cursed and laughed as the black wave smacked
[Chorus]
Heave
Boys
Heave
To the devil or the crown
Pull that world of water down
Heave
Boys
Heave
Let the gray sea judge
For the tide takes all
And the tide won’t budge
[Chorus]
Heave
Boys
Heave
With your back and bone
Sing for the livin’ and the lost unknown
Heave
Boys
Heave
Till we all turn mud
For the tide takes all
And the tide won’t budge
Details
GeneratedFeb 22, 2026
Duration3:11
LanguageEnglish
Style
folk, Gritty baritone male lead over stomping, unison-chant sea-shanty groove; frame drum and boot steps mark an oar-like pulse, with fiddle and concertina weaving minor-key lines. Verses stay close and narrative, call-and-response with rough gang vocals; choruses swell to full crew shouting, open-throated and raw. Gentle octave drone on low whistle and bowed bass underpins the last chorus for a darker, haunted lift., rhythmic, vocal, acoustic, ballad, shanty
Credits
Prompt by
HamCheck
HamCheckModelAria v5
Prompt
Traditional maritime sea shanty, baritone male vocal lead with chorus backing, rhythmic rowing tempo, acoustic folk, 18th-century naval ballad, minor key, gritty and weathered vocals, storytelling sty
