Crack Goes The Whip

Crack goes the whip as it breaks through the night,
Backs they are bent, they put up no fight,

Back when I was younger, Yes I did dream,
Of sailing for honor, for glory, not greed,

But now that I’m older and now that I am free, 
I put them in chains and they work for me

To make me a pound, to make me some gold,
I struck a deal with the devil and sold my soul 

Now I am the captain of the Tranquility
A fast running ship, the terror of the sea 

With 12 on each side, she man’s 24 guns, 
You can not out shoot me, you can not out run,

I set sail from Brisbane, to Melbourne then Perth, 
We smuggled goods and sold them ten times their worth,

So crack goes the whip as we’ve sighted an ace,  
2 miles out, boys pick up the pace, 

Once we came near, I couldn’t believe what I’d seen
It wasn’t one ship, it turned out to be three, 

Navy vessels, two man’s of war, 
Then the flagship, a class I’d never seen before,

So crack goes the whip, boys we’re in the straights,
I hear the bells calling, from those fiery gates, 

First we maneuvered and brought her around, 
Piercing through the night the cannons mighty sound 

Let fly 24 guns, the grand song of death,
Then we turned starboard and brought her abreast 

The devil he called time to collect my debt,
Before we could fire a salvo crashed into the deck,

(Outro)
Splinters they flew and pierced my right side, 
Surrounded by riches on that ship, I died, in!

Dark call & response shanty, rhythmic thumping, deep male choir, gritty texture