The Ultimate Collection of Sailing Songs

Headphones lying on a beach in front of the ocean

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Updated 21 October 2024

The ocean has inspired the poetry and craft of musicians and sailors alike for centuries. Songs of the sea have captured tales, buoyed spirits, salved broken hearts, rallied crew and been downed with lashings of rum. Cranking out a sailing song is good for the soul. I set out on a mission to create the most eclectic group of sailing songs for you to explore and discover something new.

So here it is! The ultimate collection of the best 51 sailing song lyrics in one place so you can sing your heart out. Here you can listen to folk, rock, pop, rap, shanties and more (and everything in between). Go ahead and find the perfect sailing song to suit your mood!

Click on the song title below to read its lyrics, and watch the music video on YouTube. Or scroll down to enjoy the mix of old classics and new hits.

Listen to Saltwater Journal's sailing music playlist on Spotify

Listen to the music below in the ‘Take me sailing’ playlist on Spotify

Contents

Click the song link below to skip to it’s music video and lyrics

RegattaNeno Belan
Sail AwayWhitesnake
Sailing ShipsWhitesnake
Smooth Sailin’Leon Bridges
Sailing Christopher Cross
SailingRod Stewart
Saucy SailorSteeleye Span
SailAwolnation
Sail Away The Rasmus
WellermanNathan Evans
Come All You SailorsWailin’ Jennys
Across the SeaWailin’ Jennys
Play Crack The SkyBrand New
Into the MysticVan Morrison
Thousands Are Sailing — The Pogues
The Downeaster ‘Alexa’Billy Joel
Sail AwayDavid Gray
Drunken BoatKendra Smith
A Sailboat in the MoonlightBillie Holiday
Sailing AwayChris de Burgh
Cool ChangeLittle River Band
When the Ship Comes InBob Dylan
I’m On A BoatLonely Island
Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)Looking Glass
Where the Boat Leaves From Zac Brown Band
Sloop John BJerry Jeff Walker
Single Handed SailorDire Straits
Come on Down to My BoatEvery Mother’s Son
Soul of a SailorKenny Chesney
Six Months on a Leaky BoatSplit Enz
Rolling SeaVetiver
Come Sail AwayStyx
Set SailThe Movement
(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the BayOtis Redding
Sail on Sailor Beach Boys
Full Sail Beach Boys
SailboatBen Rector
Sailing Down My Golden RiverPete Seeger
If I Had a BoatLyle Lovett
Land HoThe Doors
Son of a Son of a SailorJimmy Buffett
A Pirate Looks at 40 Jimmy Buffett
Rock the BoatThe Hues Corporation
Southern Cross — Crosby, Stills & Nash
I’m All at SeaJamie Cullum
Drunken Sailor Irish Rovers
Fifteen Men (And a Bottle of Rum)Robert Lewis Stevenson
Ship of Fools Grateful Dead
Lost SailorGrateful Dead
Smooth SailingQueens of the Stone Age
Only the OceanJack Johnson


 
Watch the music video for Regatta by Neno Belan on YouTube

Click the image above to see the music video in English or hear Neno sing Regata života in Croation here

Regatta — Neno Belan

Don't you see
Beautiful sea
While I’m away
I feel your prayer
In the meantime
Somewhere deepdown
Sailing slowly
Nights and days
That's the way
We’re all
Living our lives
In the calm of
Your embrace

Don't you see
That beatutiful sea
That beautiful place
And peace of my mind
Don't you see
My serene
Sweet blue sea sonata
My heart sings
Regatta

Salty grace
To my cheeks
My hands are cold
In the breeze
Whispering tales
Of oceans deep
Where secrets sleep
That big blue keeps
Storms are coming
Wind is smiling and dancing around me
My soul is sailing free

Don't you see
That beautiful sea
That beautiful place
And peace of my mind
Don't you see
My serene
Sweet blue sea sonata
My heart sings
Regatta

Like a seagull gliding
Calmly over the sea
My heart is singing
My soul is free

Don't you see
That beautiful sea
That beautiful place
And peace of my mind
Don't you see
My serene
Sweet blue sea sonata
My heart sings
Regatta

Music: Neno Belan
Lyrics: Ivo Scepanovic & Niksa Svilicic

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Sailing Ships — Whitesnake

Do you remember
Standing on the shore
Head in the clouds
Your pockets filled with dreams
Bound for glory
On the seven seas of life
But, the ocean is deeper than it seems

The wind was with you
When you left on the morning tide
You set your sail for an island in the sun
On the horizon, dark clouds up ahead
For the storm has just begun

Take me with you
Take me far away
An' lead me to the distant shore

Sail your ship across the water
Spread your wings across the sky
Take the time to see
You're the one who holds the key
Or sailing ships will pass you by

You cry for mercy
When you think you've lost your way
You drift alone, if all your hope is gone
So find the strength and you will see
You control, your destiny
After all is said and done

So take me with you
Take me far away
An' lead me to the distant shore

Sail your ship across the water
Spread your wings across the sky
Take the time to see
You're the one who holds the key
Or sailing ships will pass
Sailing ships will pass you
Sailing ships will pass you by

Take me with you
Take me far away
We'll ride the wind across the sky
Spread your wings and you will see
You control, your destiny
So sailing ships don't pass you by

So take me with you
Take me far away
We'll ride the wind across the sky
Spread your wings and you will see
You control, your destiny
So sailing ships don't pass
So sailing ships don't pass you
So sailing ships don't pass you by

Baby, baby, baby, baby
You'll find that you're the only one
Can sail your ship across the sky

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Sail Away — Whitesnake

If you're driftin' on an empty ocean
With no wind to fill your sail
The future, your horizon,
It's like searchin' for the Holy Grail
You feel there's no tomorrow
As you look into the water below
It's only your reflection
And you still ain't got no place to go

Time will show,
When, I don't know

Sail away tomorrow
Sailin' far away
To find it steal or borrow
I'll be there someday
I'll be there someday

Oh, woman, I keep returnin'
To sing the same old song
The story's been told, now I'm gettin' old
Tell me, where do I belong
I'm feel like I'm goin' to surrender
It's hard times I've had enough
If I could find a place to hide my face
I believe, I could get back up

Time will show,
When, I don't know

Sail away tomorrow,
Sailin' far away
To find it steal or borrow
I'll be there someday
I will be there, I'll be there someday

Time will show
When, I don't know

Sail away tomorrow
Sailin' far away
To find it steal or borrow
I'll be there someday

Sail away tomorrow
Sailin' far away
To find it steal or borrow
I'll be there someday
I will be there, I'll be there someday
I will be there

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Smooth Sailin’ — Leon Bridges

Over the horizon, she's smooth sailin'
These concrete seas
Now she headin' East down the boule-, the -vard

Sugar
Said I like the way (like the way)
Said I like the way (like the way)
You sail your ship down
Let me be your cargo
I won't weigh you down
No, honey, I won't weigh you down

I don't really know her destination
But I got a feeling I, need to be your passenger
Sugar, let me be your passenger

Oh, sugar
Said I like the way (like the way)
Said I like the way (like the way)
You sail your ship down
Let me be your cargo
I won't weigh you down
No, honey, I won't weigh you down

She's smooth, smooth sailin'
(Smooth sailin' yeah)
She's smooth, smooth, darling

Sweet pretty baby, won't you be my lady? Oh-oh
Sweet honey, darling, you know I'm calling
I want you

Oh, sugar
Said I like the way (like the way)
Said I like the way (like the way)
You sail your ship down
Let me be your cargo
I won't weigh you down
No, honey, I won't weigh you down

She's smooth, smooth sailin'
(Smooth sailin', yeah)
She's smooth, ooh, darling

Sweet pretty baby, won't you be my lady? Oh-oh
Sweet honey darling, you know I'm calling
I want you

Sugar
Said I like the way (like the way)
Said I like the way (like the way)
You sail your ship down
Let me be your cargo
I won't weigh you down
No, honey, I won't weigh you down

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Sailing — Christopher Cross

Well, it's not far down to paradise, at least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see
Believe me

It's not far to never-never land, no reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy of innocence again
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see
Believe me

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could b
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

Fantasy, it gets the best of me
When I'm sailing
All caught up in the reverie, every word is a symphony
Won't you believe me?

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

Well it's not far back to sanity, at least it's not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away and find serenity
Oh, the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see
Really, believe me

Sailing takes me away to where I've always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free.

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Sailing — Rod Stewart

I am sailing, I am sailing
Home again 'cross the sea
I am sailing, stormy waters
To be near you, to be free

I am flying, I am flying
Like a bird 'cross the sky
I am flying, passing high clouds
To be with you, to be free

Can you hear me, can you hear me
Through the dark night, far away
I am dying, forever trying
To be with you, who can say

Can you hear me, can you hear me
Through the dark night far away
I am dying, forever crying
To be with you, who can say

We are sailing, we are sailing
Home again 'cross the sea
We are sailing stormy waters
To be near you, to be free

Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh (my) Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh Lord
Oh Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh (my) Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh Lord.

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Saucy Sailor – Steeleye Span

Come me own one, come me fair one
come now unto me
Could you fancy a poor sailor lad
who has just come from sea

You are ragged love and you're dirty love
And your clothes smell much of tar
So be gone you saucy sailor lad
so be gone you Jack Tar

If I am ragged love and I'm dirty love
and me clothes smell much of tar
I have silver in me pocket love, and gold in great store

And then when she heard him say say
on her bended knee she fell
I will marry my dear Henry, for I love a sailor lad so well

Do you think that I am foolish love
do you think that I am mad
For to wed with a poor country girl
where no fortune's to be had

I will cross the briny ocean, I will whistle and sing
And since you've refused the offer love
some other girl shall wear the ring

I am frolicsome and I am easy, good tempered and free
And I don't give a single pin me boys
what the world thinks of me.

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Sail — Awolnation

Sail!
This is how I show my love
I made it in my mind because
Blame it on my ADD, baby

This is how an angel dies
Blame it on my own sick pride
Blame it on my ADD, baby

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

Maybe I should cry for help
Maybe I should kill myself (myself, myself...)
Blame it on my ADD, baby

Maybe I'm a different breed
Maybe I'm not listening
So blame it on my ADD, baby

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail with me into the dark (sail!)

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Sail Away — The Rasmus

Once upon a time we had a lot to fight for
We had a dream, we had a plan
Sparks in the air – we spread a lot of envy
Didn't have to care once upon a time

Remember when I swore
My love is never ending
And you and I will never die
Remember when I swore
We had it all
We had it all

Sail away
It's time to leave
Rainy days
Are yours to keep
Fade away
The night is calling my name
You will stay
I'll sail away

Once upon a time we used to burn candles
We had a place to call a home
The dream that we lived
Was better than divine
Every day was like a gift
Once upon a time

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Wellerman — Nathan Evans

There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

She'd not been two weeks from shore
When down on her a right whale bore
The captain called all hands and swore
He'd take that whale in tow (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

Da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

Before the boat had hit the water
The whale's tail came up and caught her
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
When she dived down low (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

No line was cut, no whale was freed
The captain's mind was not of greed
And he belonged to the Whaleman's creed
She took that ship in tow (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

Da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da

For forty days or even more
The line went slack then tight once more
All boats were lost, there were only four
But still that whale did go (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
The line's not cut, and the whale's not gone
The Wellerman makes his regular call
To encourage the captain, crew and all (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go.

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Come All You Sailors – Wailin’ Jennys

Come all you sailors
Sail upon my sea
Swim in these salty waters
Cleanse the wounds that run so deep

Come all you lovers
Give your hearts to me
Come with your broken dreams and
Your ruined fancies

Come all you seekers
Realize that you can see
Find within your deepest longing
That all you need is me.

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Across the Sea – Wailin’ Jennys

I see your face across the sea
You’re in the waves, surrounding me
I hear your voice call on the breeze
On this ship out on the ocean

Sailing across the sea on a big ship on the ocean
The moon is rising in the east the stars hang down around her
The bow is arrowed to the hearts of the ones we wish to come home to
But the newly lit night directs this flight singing the ocean road will guide you

I see your face across the sea
You’re in the waves, surrounding me
I hear your voice call on the breeze
On this ship out on the ocean

When I wake I’ll cast my anchor down and dive below
I’ll dive into my lover’s arms we’ll warm the ocean’s cold
Across the sea and to our home we’ll meet again so soon
You’ll be with me across the sea on this ship out on the ocean

I see your face across the sea
You’re in the waves, surrounding me
I hear your voice call on the breeze
On this ship out on the ocean.

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Play Crack The Sky — Brand New

Yeah that's right
One, two, three
One, two
One
One...

We sent out the SOS call
It was a quarter past four
In the morning
When the storm broke our second anchor line
Four months at sea
Four months of calm seas
To be pounded in the shallows off
The tip of Montauk Point

They call them rogues
They travel fast and alone
One hundred foot faces
Of God's good ocean gone wrong
What they call love is a risk
You'll always get hit
Out of nowhere
By some wave and end up on your own

The hole in the hull defied the crews attempts
To bail us out
And flooded the engines and radio
And half buried bow

Your tongue is a rudder
It steers the whole ship
Sends your words past your lips
Or keeps them safe behind your teeth
But the wrong words will strand you
Come off course while you sleep
Sweep your boat out to sea
Or dash to bits on the reef

The vessel groans
The ocean pressures its frame
To the port I see the lighthouse
Through the sleet and the rain
And I wish for one more day
To give my love and repay debts
But the morning finds our bodies
Washed up thirty miles west

They say that the captain
Stays fast with the ship
Through still and storm
But this ain't the Dakota
The water's cold (so cold)
Won't have to fight for long

This story's old (this is the end)
But it goes on and on
Until we disappear (this is the calm)
Calm me and let me taste (this is the calm)
The salt you breathed
While you were underneath (We are the resin)
I am the one who haunts your (we are the resin)
Dreams of mountains
Sunk below the sea (after the storm)
I spoke the words but never (after the storm)
Gave a thought to what they all could mean (Rest here with me)
I know that this (rest in the deep) is what you want
A funeral keeps both of us apart (Washed up on the beach)
You know that you are not alone (Washed up on the beach)
I need you like water in my lungs (this is the end)

This story's old (this is the end)
But it goes on and on
Until we disappear (this is the calm)
Calm me and let me taste (this is the calm)
The salt you breathed
While you were underneath (We are the resin)
I am the one who haunts your (we are the resin)
Dreams of mountains
Sunk below the sea (after the storm)
I spoke the words but never (after the storm)
Gave a thought to what they all could mean (Rest here with me)
I know that this (rest in the deep) is what you want
A funeral keeps both of us apart (Washed up on the beach)
You know that you are not alone (Washed up on the beach)
I need you like water in my lungs (this is the end).

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Into the Mystic – Van Morrison

We were born before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won
As we sailed into the mystic

Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly
Into the mystic

And when that foghorn blows
I will be coming home, mmhmm hmm
And when the foghorn blows
I want to hear it
I don't have to fear it

And I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will float
Into the mystic, mmm.

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Thousands Are Sailing — The Pogues

The island, it is silent now
But the ghosts still haunt the waves
And the torch lights up a famished man
Who fortune could not save

Did you work upon the railroad?
Did you rid the streets of crime?
Were your dollars from the White House?
Were they from the Five-and-Dime?

Did the old songs taunt or cheer you?
And did they still make you cry?
Did you count the months and years
Or did your teardrops quickly dry?

"Ah, no", says he, "it was not to be
On a coffin ship I came here
And I never even got so far
That they could change my name"

Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
To a land of opportunity
That some of them will never see
Fortune prevailing
Across the western ocean
Their bellies full
Their spirits free
They'll break the chains of poverty
And they'll dance

In Manhattan's desert twilight
In the death of afternoon
We stepped hand in hand on Broadway
Like the first man on the moon

And a blackbird broke the silence
As you whistled it so sweet
And in Brendan Behan's footsteps
I danced up and down the street

Then we said goodnight to Broadway
Giving it our best regards
Tipped our hats to Mister Cohen
Dear old Times Square's favourite bard

Then we raised a glass to JFK
And a dozen more besides
When I got back to my empty room
I suppose I must have cried

Thousands are sailing
Again across the ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Postcards we're mailing
Of sky light skies and oceans
From rooms the daylight never sees
And lights don't glow on Christmas trees
And we danced to the music
And we danced

Thousands are sailing
Across the western ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
The land that makes us refugees
From fear of priests with empty plates
From guilt and weeping effigies
Still we dance to the music
And we dance.

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The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ — Billy Joel

 Well I'm on The Downeaster ‘Alexa’
And I'm cruising through
Block Island Sound
I have charted a course to The Vineyard
But tonight I am Nantucket bound
I took on diesel
Back in Montauk yesterday
Left this morning from
The bell in Gardiners Bay
Like all the locals here
I've had to sell my home
Too proud to leave
I work my fingers to the bone

So I could own my Downeaster ‘Alexa’
And I go where the ocean is deep
There are giants out there in the canyons
And a good captain can't fall asleep
I got bills to pay
And children who need clothes
I know there's fish out there
But where? God only knows
They say these waters
Aren't what they used to be
But I got people back on land
Who count on me

Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-o
Yay-yay-o

Now I drive my Downeaster ‘Alexa’
More and more miles
From shore every year
Since they told me I can't sell no stripers
And there's no luck
In swordfishing here
I was a bayman like my father was before
You can't make a living
As a bayman anymore
There ain't much future
For a man who works the sea
But there ain't no island
Left for Islanders like me.

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Sail Away — David Gray

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now

Crazy skies all wild above me now
Winter howling at my face
And everything I held so dear
Disappeared without a trace
Oh all the times I've tasted love
Never knew quite what I had
Little darling if you hear me now
Never needed you so bad
Spinning round inside my head

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now

I've been talking drunken gibberish
Falling in and out of bars
Trying to get some explanation here
For the way some people are
How did it ever come so far

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now
Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now

I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now.

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Drunken Boat — Kendra Smith

Down to the sea in a drunken boat
No one can get to her tearing up the words she wrote
Down impassable rivers
What does she care for a crew
Light as a cork she is dancing
On the waves of the deep sunk dead
Moonlit lantern idiot eyes

Delirious rhythms that catch her at dawn
Black perfumes that drag her and drug her
Under the bottomless spiralling sky
Nighttime breathes in ominous fortune
She thinks of the calm before storming
And hears Ma's silent warning
Down to the sea in a drunken boat

No one can get to her tearing up the words she wrote
On a drunken boat she is sailing
Down to the sea she's singing
Nothing is quite as it seems
And no man on earth can be hid from her dreaming.

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A Sailboat in the Moonlight — Billie Holiday

A sailboat in the moonlight
And you
Wouldn't that be heaven
A heaven just for two
A soft breeze on a June night and you
What a perfect setting
For letting dreams come true

A chance to sail away
To Sweetheart Bay
Beneath the stars that shine
A chance to drift
For you to lift
Your tender lips to mine
Some things dear
That I long for are few
Just give me a sailboat in the moonlight and you

A chance to sail away
To Sweetheart Bay
Beneath the stars that shine
A chance to drift
For you to lift
Your tender lips to mine
Some things dear
That I long for are few
Just give me a sailboat in the moonlight and you.

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Sailing Away — Chris de Burgh

Waiting at the water's edge
Watching all the ships
As they are heading for the harbour wall
I was just a boy, I was just a boy
Dreaming of the wide world
Dreaming of the wide world

Watching as they disappear
Reading out the names
Of all the places I have never seen
Looking out to sea, staring out to sea
Dreaming of a wide world
Dreaming of the wide world,
I wish I was sailing away, sailing away
Sailing away, with you tonight, with you tonight

Walking down another street
Underneath the red lights
I am watching where the shadows fall
Looking at the girls, listening to the girls
Dreaming of a new world, 
Dreaming of that new world,

I wish I was sailing away, sailing away
Sailing away, in your arms tonight
In your arms tonight
I wish I was sailing away, sailing away
Sailing away, with you now, with you now.

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Cool Change — Little River Band

If there's one thing in my life that's missing
It's the time that I spend alone
Sailing on the cool and bright clear water

There's lots of you friendly people
They're showing me ways to go
And I never want to lose their inspiration

Time for a cool change
I know that it's time for a cool change
And now that my life is so prearranged
I know that it's time for a cool change

Well, I was born in the sign of water
And it's there that I feel my best
The albatross and the whales, they are my brothers

It's kind of a special feeling
When you're out on the sea alone
Staring at the full moon like a lover

Time for a cool change
I know that it's time for a cool change
Now that my life is so prearranged
I know that it's time for a cool change

Well I've never been romantic
And sometimes I don't care
I know it may sound selfish
But let me breathe the air
Yeah, yeah

If there's one thing in my life that's missing
It's the time that I spend alone
Sailing on the cool and bright clear water

It's kind of a special feeling
When out on the sea alone
Staring at the full moon like a lover

Time for a cool change
Time for a cool change
Now that my life is so prearranged
Well I know, I know, I know it's time for a cool, cool change.

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When the Ship Comes In — Bob Dylan

Oh, the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin'
Like the stillness in the wind
Before the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in

And the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking

Oh, the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they'll be smiling
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in

And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they're spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean

A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in

Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin'
And the ship's wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin'

Oh, the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they'll jerk from their beds and think they're dreamin'
But they'll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it's for real
The hour when the ship comes in

Then they'll raise their hands
Sayin' we'll meet all your demands
But we'll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharaoh's tribe
They'll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath, they'll be conquered.

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I’m On A Boat — Lonely Island

Aw shit, get your towels ready it's about to go down (shorty, yeah)
Everybody in the place hit the fucking deck (shorty, yeah)
But stay on your motherfucking toes
We running this, let's go

I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat)
Everybody look at me
'Cause I'm sailing on a boat (sailing on a boat)
I'm on a boat (I'm on a boat) I'm on a boat
Take a good hard look at the motherfucking boat (boat, yeah)

I'm on a boat motherfucker take a look at me
Straight floatin' on a boat on the deep blue sea
Busting five knots, wind whipping out my coat
You can't stop me motherfucker cause I'm on a boat

Take a picture, trick (trick) I'm on a boat, bitch (bitch)
We drinking Santana champ, 'cause it's so crisp (crisp)
I got my swim trunks and my flippie-floppies
I'm flipping burgers, you at Kinko's, straight flipping copies

I'm riding on a dolphin, doing flips and shit
The dolphin's splashing, getting everybody all wet
But this ain't Sea World, this is real as it gets
I'm on a boat, motherfucker, don't you ever forget

I'm on a boat and, it's going fast and
I got a nautical themed Pashmina Afghan
I'm the king of the world on a boat like Leo
If you're on the shore, then you're sure not me-oh
Get the fuck up, this boat is real!

Fuck land, I'm on a boat, motherfucker (motherfucker)
Fuck trees, I climb buoys, motherfucker (motherfucker)
I'm on the deck with my boys, motherfucker (yeah)
This boat engine make noise, motherfucker

Hey ma, if you could see me now (see me now)
Arms spread wide on the starboard bow (starboard bow)
Gonna fly this boat to the moon somehow (moon somehow)
Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible

Yeah, never thought I'd be on a boat (let's go)
It's a big blue watery road (yeah)
Poseidon look at me, oh (all hands on deck)

Never thought I'd see the day
When a big boat coming my way
Believe me when I say, I fucked a mermaid

I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat
Everybody look at me 'cause I'm sailing on a boat (whoa)
I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat
Take a good hard look at the motherfuckin' boat (shorty, shorty, yeah).

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Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) — Looking Glass

There's a port on a western bay
And it serves a hundred ships a day
Lonely sailors pass the time away
And talk about their homes

And there's a girl in this harbor town
And she works layin' whiskey down
They say, Brandy, fetch another round
She serves them whiskey and wine

The sailors say, "Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"Yeah, your eyes could steal a sailor from the sea"

Brandy wears a braided chain
Made of finest silver from the North of Spain
A locket that bears the name
Of the man that Brandy loved

He came on a summer's day
Bringin' gifts from far away
But he made it clear he couldn't stay
No harbor was his home

The sailors say, "Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"

Yeah, Brandy used to watch his eyes
When he told his sailor stories
She could feel the ocean fall and rise
She saw its ragin' glory
But he had always told the truth, Lord, he was an honest man
And Brandy does her best to understand

At night when the bars close down
Brandy walks through a silent town
And loves a man who's not around
She still can hear him say

She hears him say, "Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea"
It is, yes it is
He said, "Brandy, you're a fine girl" (you're a fine girl)
"What a good wife you would be" (such a fine girl)
"But my life, my lover, my lady is the sea".

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Where The Boat Leaves From — Zac Brown Band

There's a place, where the boat leaves from
It takes away all of your big problems
You got worries you can drop them in the blue ocean
But you gotta get away to where the boat leaves from

Take one part sand, and one part sea, one part shade of banana tree
The drinks they're cold and the reggae is hot
And I know this is the place for me

So get away to where the boat leaves from
It takes away all of your big problems
You got worries you can drop them in the blue ocean
But you gotta get away to where the boat leaves from

See the problem is that you're right there
And there's a perfectly good island somewhere
Where a ride that floats and don't grab your coats
You won't need it where we are going

Get away to where the boat leaves from
It takes away all of your big problems
You got worries you can drop them in the blue ocean
But you gotta get away to where the boat leaves from

Pick me up
Pick me up
Pick me up
Put me down
Down on the sand where its cool
Put me down
When I fall off my stool
Put me down
I'll just sleep there til morning comes around

With sunshine tanned ladies and piña coladas
and Bob Marley songs that are playing
There's a song in my ear that I want you to hear
Soft tropical lips that are singin’

Get away to where the boat leaves from
It takes away all of your big problems
You got worries you can drop them in the blue ocean
But you gotta get away to where the boat leaves from

So get away to where the boat leaves from
it takes away all of your big problems
You got worries you can drop them in the blue ocean
but you got to get away to where the
so get away to where the boat leaves from
it takes away all of your big problems
you got worries you could drop them in the blue ocean.

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Sloop John B – Jerry Jeff Walker

We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home

So hoist up the John be's sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The first mate he got drunk
And broke in the Cap'n's trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don't you leave me alone, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

Hoist up the John B
I feel so broke up, I wanna go home
Let me go home

The poor cook he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don't they let me go home
This is the worst trip I've ever been on

So hoist up the John B’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the Captain ashore
Let me go home, let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up
I wanna go home
Why don't you let me go home.

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Single Handed Sailor — Dire Straits

Two in the morning
Dry dock town
The river rolls in the night
Little gypsy moth
She's all tied down
She quivers in the wind and the light
Yeah, and a sailing ship is just held down in chains
From the lazy days of sail
She's just a-lying there in silent pain
He lean on the tourist rail
A mother and her baby and the college of war
In the concrete graves
You never want to fight against the river law
Nobody rules the waves
Yeah, and on a night
When the lazy wind is a-wailing
Around the Cutty Sark
The single-handed sailor goes sailing
Sailing away in the dark
He's upon the bridge on the self same night
The mariner of dry-dock land
Two in the morning
But there's one green light
And a man on a barge of sand
She's gonna slip away below him
Away from the things he's done
But he just shouts
"Hey man, what you call this thing?"
He could have said "Pride of London"
On a night when the lazy wind is a-wailing
Around the Cutty Sark
Yeah, the single-handed sailor goes sailing
Sailing away in the dark.

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Come On Down to My Boat — Every Mother’s Son

She sits on the dock a fishin' in the water uh, huh
I don't know her name she's the fisherman's daughter uh, huh
Come on down to my boat baby
Come on down where we can play

Come on down to my boat baby
Come on down we'll sail away.
She smiled so nice like she wants to come with me uh, huh
But she's tied to the dock and she can't get free

Come on down to my boat baby 
Fish all day sleep all night
Father never lets her out of his sight
Soon I'm gonna have to get my knife and cut that rope, cut that rope

Then we can go fishin' in my little red boat
Make you happy in my little red boat
so come on down to my boat baby.

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Soul of a Sailor — Kenny Chesney

He walked in with a salty sway
Lookin' like Blackbeard in his day
A brother in arms just like me
I was born a son of the sea
I can't be still, I can't be tied
The only time I feel alive is

When the wind fills my sail
Riding on a lifelong swell
Let my heart take me where it wants to go
That's the soul of a sailor, the soul of a sailor

He slid a stool and a beer to me
Said, you know, we're both a dying breed
Here's to love lost and new found friends
And living out life in the boat we're in
I can't be still, I can't be tied
The only time I feel alive is

When the wind fills my sail
Riding on a lifelong swell
Let my heart take me where it wants to go
That's the soul of a sailor, the soul of a sailor

Let my heart take me where it wants to go
That's the soul of a sailor, the soul of a sailor.

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Six Months on a Leaky Boat — Split Enz

When I was a young boy
I wanted to sail around the world
That's the life for me
Living on the sea
Spirit of a sailor
Circumnavigates the globe
The lust of a pioneer
Will acknowledge no frontier

I remember you by, thunderclap in the sky
Lightning flash, tempers flare
'Round the horn if you dare
I just spent six months in a leaky boat
Lucky just to keep afloat

Aotearoa
Rugged individual
Glisten like a pearl
At the bottom of the world
The tyranny of distance
Didn't stop the cavalier
So why should it stop me
I'll conquer and stay free

Ah, c'mon all you lads
Let's forget and forgive
There's a world to explore
Tales to tell back on shore
I just spent six months in a leaky boat
Six months in a leaky boat

Ship-wrecked love can be cruel
Don't be fooled by her kind
There's a wind in my sails
Will protect and prevail
I just spent six months in a leaky boat
Nothing to it leaky boat.

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Rolling Sea — Vetiver

Wouldn't you love to be out on the rollin' sea
With only the sky above you for a roof
What if all your friends were there
Laugh at all your jokes and share
Sweet salt air with you
Wouldn't that be good
You know it would

Wouldn't you love to find your self there some time
Duckin' when the bow swings your way?
When ever we make plans you tell me your a busy man,
That you'd go but that you really should stay.

Nothin' escapes the rolling sea
Not the past nor you or me.
You keep the world at bay,
Should it all wash away
You wouldn't feel the pain of those who can.

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Sail Into The Sun — Gentlemen Hall

I'll take the sun
And watch it surround you
All of the rain will fall all around you

And I, I'll pull you closer when we're floating far away
And I, don't need no reason we'll just get away
When we sail into the sun, into the sun
Sail into the sun, into the sun

I’ll make the clouds a carpet and canopy
Won't touch the ground

I’ll stay up here just you and me
And I, I'll pull you closer when youre floating far away
And I, don't need no reason we'll just get away
And we sail into the sun, into the sun
Sail into the sun, into the sun

When we finally get there
Will we ever leave
Will we find that we have is all we really need?
All we gotta do is get there
Miles above the ground
We can fade away without a sound

Oh, no
Show me how to get away
And go, go
I don't wanna do it in my own
So, find a way to get you all alone
We're going home

When we sail into the sun, into the sun
Sail into the sun, into the sun
When we sail into the sun, into the sun
Sail into the sun, into the sun.

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Come Sail Away — Styx

I'm sailing away, set an open course for the virgin sea
Cause I've got to be free, free to face the life that's ahead of me
On board, I'm the captain, so climb aboard
We'll search for tomorrow on every shore
And I'll try, oh Lord, I'll try to carry on

I look to the sea, reflections in the waves spark my memory
Some happy, some sad
I think of childhood friends and the dreams we had
We lived happily forever, so the story goes
But somehow we missed out on that pot of gold
But we'll try best that we can to carry on

A gathering of angels appeared above my head
They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said
They said come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me now
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me now
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me

I thought that they were angels, but to my surprise
We climbed aboard their starship, we headed for the skies
Singing come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me now
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away with me
Come sail away, come sail away
Come sail away, come sail away.

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Set Sail — The Movement

Tell me where you going and where you been
Take me away from the world I'm in
Cause when it's filled with sin, crime, strife, and danger
And everybody seems a little bit stranger
I can't seem to find my right of way, I say
It's getting harder every day, in every way
It's hard to explain how I feel, but I know the feeling is real

Whenever my ship sets sail, I'll be on the shore
Dancing with the ocean like I never did before
And watch it as it comes and goes
'Cause I know that someone knows
This is the life for me
And whenever my ship sets sail
I'll be on the beach
Waltzing to the water with the sand beneath my feet
So I can watch another sunrise
You know I can't deny

This is the life for me, the life for me
Whenever my ship sets sail
The water be my daughter
Take it all away, leave me waiting for the slaughter
After the fact it's that this is my habitat
This is the life for me
And wherever the water runs deep
You are not alone
Look up in the sky, let the stars take you home
After the fact it's that, this life is where it's at
This is the life for me

Tell me where you going and where you been
Take me away from the world I'm in
Cause when I'm giving in to all the pain and pressure
And everybody out there is coming to get you
I'll never let them come and take my soul away, I say
It's getting harder everyday, in every way
It's hard to explain how I feel but I know the feeling is real
Everybody, all the time
Everybody, get right now
Everybody, all the time
Everybody, get right down to it.

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(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay — Otis Redding

Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the 'Frisco bay
'Cause I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothin's gonna come my way

So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time

Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes

Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home

Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time.

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Sail On Sailor — The Beach Boys

I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor

I wrest the waters, fight Neptune's waters
Sail through the sorrows of life's marauders
Unrepenting, often empty
Sail on, sail on sailor

Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail
Bought like a crust of bread, but oh do I wail

Seldom stumble, never crumble
Try to tumble, life's a rumble
Feel the stinging I've been given
Never ending, unrelenting
Heartbreak searing, always fearing
Never caring, persevering
Sail on, sail on, sailor

I work the seaways, the gale-swept seaways
Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters
Uninspired, drenched and tired
Wail on, wail on, sailor

Always needing, even bleeding
Never feeding all my feelings
Damn the thunder, must I blunder
There's no wonder all I'm under
Stop the crying and the lying
And the sighing and my dying 
Sail on, sail on sailor.

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Full Sail — Beach Boys

Full sail full sail
Steady as you go
The wind will blow
Set sail at Frisco Bay
In a fog cold and gray
Clear sailing, day after day

Full sail full sail
Now the air is still
We lay adrift
Come upon a sea of trouble
Till the winds of change shift
My course is set
There's no turning back
But there's no goin' anywhere yet

Full sail full sail
Waiting for the wind to blow
The wind will blow
Does the silence of the sea
Sound warning of a storm ahead
Whispers of the breeze
Stir and disappear
To soft to hear
What's in store for me

Adventure on the high seas
Put the childhood dream to the test
Find the measure of the man
Follow the sun heading west

Full sail
Steady as you go
Steady as you go
Full sail
Waiting for the wind to blow
The wind will blow
Hey full sail
Mmmm mmmmm
Hey full sail.

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Sailboat — Ben Rector

I feel just like a sailboat
Don't know where I'm headed
But you can't make the wind blow
From a sailboat
I've seen the sun
Felt the rain on my skin
I've been lost and found
But mostly I've been waiting

Oh, I'm out in the waves
And I'm hoping and praying
Please let this wind blow me home
Night after night
There's an empty horizon
My God, do I feel so alone
But sometimes life
And most times
I feel just like a sailboat

And I'm pretty sure I'm heard
At least I know I'm speaking
But I feel like a fool
Cause I can't hear you listening
But I'm not giving up,
Oh, I'm gonna move on forward
I'm gonna raise my sail
God knows what I'm headed towards

Oh I'm out in the waves
And I'm hoping and praying
Please let this wind blow me home
And night after night
There's an empty horizon
My god do I feel so alone
Sometimes life
And most times
I feel just like a sailboat

Only change I see
Lost or found at sea
The only difference
Is believing I'll make it in

Oh I'm out in the waves
And I'm hoping and praying
Please let this wind blow me home
And night after night
There's an empty horizon
My god do I feel so alone
Sometimes life
And most times
I feel just like a sailboat.

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Sailing Down My Golden River — Pete Seeger

Sailing down my golden river
Sun and water all my own
Yet I was never alone

Sun and water, old life givers
L'll have them where ere I roam
And I was not far from home

Sunlight glancing on the water
Life and death are all my own
Yet I was never alone

Life for all my sons and daughters
Golden sparkles in the foam
And I was not far from home

Sailing down this winding highway
Travellers from near and far
And I was never alone

Exploring all the little byways
Sighting all the distant stars
And I was not far from home

Sailing down my golden river
Sun and water all my own
Yet I was never alone

Sun and water, old life givers
L'll have them where ere I roam
And I was not far from home
Yet I was never alone
And I was not far from home.

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If I Had a Boat — Lyle Lovett

And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat

If I were Roy Rogers
I'd sure enough be single
I couldn't bring myself to marrying an old Dale
Well, it'd just be me and Trigger
We'd go riding through them movies
Then we'd buy a boat and on the sea we'd sail

And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat

The mystery masked man was smart
He got himself a Tonto
'Cause Tonto did the dirty work for free
But Tonto he was smarter
And one day said kemo sabe
Well, kiss my ass, I bought a boat
I'm going out to sea

And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat

And if I were like lightning
I wouldn't need no sneakers
I'd come and go wherever I would please
And I'd scare 'em by the shade tree
And I'd scare 'em by the light pole
But I would not scare my pony on my boat out on the sea

And if I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
I said me upon my pony on my boat
I said me upon my pony on my boat.

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Land Ho — The Doors

Grandma loved a sailor
Who sailed the frozen sea
Grandpa was a whaler
And he took me on his knee

He said, son, I'm going crazy
From livin' on the land
Got to find my shipmates
And walk on foreign sands

This old man was graceful
With silver in his smile
He smoked a briar pipe and
He walked four country miles

Singing songs of shady sisters
And old time liberty
Songs of love and songs of death
And songs to set men free
Yea!

I've got three ships and sixteen men
A course for ports unread
I'll stand at mast, let north winds blow
'Till half of us are dead
Land ho!

Well, if I get my hands on a dollar bill
Gonna buy a bottle and drink my fill
If I get my hands on a number five
Gonna skin that little girl alive

If I get my hand on a number two
Come back home and marry you
Marry you
Marry you, alright!

Ey, land ho!
Ey, land ho!

Well, if I get back home and I feel alright
You know, babe, I'm gonna love you tonight
Love you right
Love you right

Ey, land ho!

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Son of a Son of a Sailor — Jimmy Buffett

As the son of a son of a sailor
I went out on the sea for adventure
Expanding the view of the captain and crew
Like a man just released from indenture

As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man
I have chalked up many a mile
Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks
And I learned much from both of their styles

Son of a son, son of a son
Son of a son of a sailor
Son of a gun, load the last ton
One step ahead of the jailer

Now away in the near future
Southeast of disorder
You can shake the hand of the mango man
As he greats you at the border

And the lady she hails from Trinidad
Island of the spices
Salt for your meat, and cinnamon sweet
And the rum is for all your good vices

Haul the sheet in as we ride on the wind
That our forefathers harnessed before us
Hear the bells ring as the tight rigging sings
It's a son of a gun of a chorus

Where it all ends I can't fathom my friends
If I knew I might toss out my anchor
So I cruise along always searchin' for songs
Not a lawyer a thief or a banker

But a son of a son, son of a son
Son of a son of a sailor
Son of a gun, load the last ton
One step ahead of the jailer

I'm just a son of a son, son of a son
Son of a son of a sailor
The sea's in my veins, my tradition remains
I'm just glad I don't live in a trailer.

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A Pirate Looks at 40 — Jimmy Buffett

Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall
You've seen it all, you've seen it all
Watched the men who rode you switch from sails to steam
And in your belly you hold the treasures few have ever seen
Most of them dream, most of them dream

Yes I am a pirate, two hundred years too late
The cannons don't thunder, there's nothing to plunder
I'm an over-forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late
I've done a bit of smuggling, I've run my share of grass
I made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast
Never meant to last, never meant to last

And I have been drunk now for over two weeks
I passed out and I rallied and I sprung a few leaks
But I got stop wishing, got to go fishing, down to rock bottom again
Just a few friends, just a few friends

I go for younger women, lived with several a while
Though I ran them away, they'd come back one day
Still could manage to smile
Just takes a while, just takes a while

Mother, mother ocean, after all the years I've found
My occupational hazard being my occupation's just not around
I feel like I've drowned, gonna head uptown
I feel like I've drowned, gonna head uptown.

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Rock The Boat — The Hues Corporation

So I'd like to know where, you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where, you got the notion
(To rock the boat), don't rock the boat baby
Don't tip the boat over
(Rock the boat), don't rock the boat baby
(Rock the boat)

Ever since our voyage of love began
Your touch has thrilled me like the rush of the wind
And your arms have held me safe from a rolling sea
There's always been a quiet place to harbour you and me

Our love is like a ship on the ocean
We've been sailing with a cargo full of love and devotion
So I'd like to know where, you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where, you got the notion
Don't rock the boat baby
(Rock the boat), don't tip the boat over
(Rock the boat), don't rock the boat baby
(Rock the boat)

Up to now we sailed through every storm
And I've always had your tender lips to keep me warm
Oh, I need to have the strength that flows from you
Don't let me drift away my dear, when love can see me through
(Our love is like a ship on the ocean)

We've been sailing with a cargo full of love and devotion
So I'd like to know where, you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where, you got the notion
So I'd like to know where, you got the notion
Said I'd like to know where, you got the notion
(To rock the boat), don't rock the boat baby
(Rock the boat), don't tip the boat over
(Rock the boat), don't rock the boat, baby
(Rock the boat), don't tip the boat over

ooh-ooh
(Rock the boat) rock on with you, baby
(Rock the boat) rock on with you, baby
(Rock the boat) rock on with you, baby
(Rock the boat)

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Southern Cross — Crosby, Stills & Nash

Got out of town on a boat goin' to Southern Islands
Sailing a reach before a followin' sea
She was makin' for the trades on the outside
And the downhill run to Papeete

Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas
We got eighty feet of the waterline nicely making way
In a noisy bar in Avalon I tried to call you
But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away

Think about
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me, larger voices callin'
What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten

Around the world (I have been around the world)
Lookin' (lookin' for that woman girl)
Who knows she knows (who knows love can endure)
And you know it will

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time
You understand now why you came this way
'Cause the truth you might be runnin' from is so small
But it's as big as the promise, the promise of a comin' day

So I'm sailing for tomorrow my dreams are a-dyin'
And my love is an anchor tied to you (tied with a silver chain)
I have my ship and all her flags are a-flyin'
She is all that I have left and music is her name

Think about
Think about how many times I have fallen
Spirits are using me, larger voices callin'
What Heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten

I have been around the world (I have been around the world)
Lookin' (lookin' for that woman girl)
(Who knows love can endure)
And you know it will
And you know it will

So we cheated and we lied and we tested
And we never failed to fail it was the easiest thing to do
You will survive being bested
Somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you
And the southern cross.

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All At Sea — Jamie Cullum

I'm all at sea
Where no one can bother me
Forgot my roots
If only for a day
Just me and my thoughts
Sailing far away

Like a warm drink, it seeps into my soul
Please just leave me right here on my own
Later on you could spend some time with me
If you want to
All at sea

I'm all at sea
Where no one can bother me
I sleep by myself
I drink on my own
I don't speak to nobody
I gave away my phone

Like a warm drink, it seeps into my soul
Please just leave me right here on my own
Later on you could spend some time with me
If you want to
All at sea
Now I need you more than ever
I need you more than ever now

You don't need it every day
But sometimes don't you just crave
To disappear within your mind
You never know what you might find
So come and spend some time with me
We will spend it all at sea

Like a warm drink, it seeps into my soul
Please just leave me right here on my own
Later on you could spend some time with me
If you want to
All at sea, ooh
If you want to
All at sea
If you want to.

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Drunken Sailor — Irish Rovers

What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!

Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!

Put him in a long boat till his sober
Put him in a long boat till his sober
Put him in a long boat till his sober
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!

Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom
Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom
Stick him in a scupper with a hosepipe bottom
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!

Put him in the bed with the captain’s daughter
Put him in the bed with the captain’s daughter
Put him in the bed with the captain’s daughter
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!

That's what we do with a drunken sailor
That's what we do with a drunken sailor
That's what we do with a drunken sailor
Early in the morning!

Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!

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Fifteen men (and a bottle of Rum) — Robert Lewis Stevenson

Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and the devil had done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
The mate was fixed by the bosun’s pike
The bosun brained with a marlinspike
And cookey’s throat was marked belike

It had been gripped by fingers ten;
And there they lay, all good dead men
Like break o’day in a boozing ken.
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Fifteen men of ’em stiff and stark
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Ten of the crew had the murder mark!

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered head
And the scuppers’ glut with a rotting red
And there they lay, aye, d^^^ my eyes
Looking up at paradise
All souls bound just contrariwise
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Fifteen men of ’em good and true
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Ev’ry man jack could ha’ sailed with Old Pew,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
There was chest on chest of Spanish gold
With a ton of plate in the middle hold
And the cabins riot of stuff untold,
And they lay there that took the plum
With sightless glare and their lips struck dumb
While we shared all by the rule of thumb,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

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Ship of Fools — Grateful Dead

Went to see the captain, strangest I could find
Laid my proposition down, laid it on the line
I won't slave for beggar's pay, likewise gold and jewels
But I would slave to learn the way to sink your ship of fools

Ship of fools on a cruel sea
Ship of fools sail away from me
It was later than I thought when I first believed you
Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools

Saw your first ship sink and drown, from rocking of the boat
And all that could not sink or swim was just left there to float
I won't leave you drifting down but whoa it makes me wild
With thirty years upon my head
To have you call me child

Ship of fools on a cruel sea
Ship of fools sail away from me
It was later than I thought when I first believed you
Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools

The bottles stand as empty
As they were filled before
Time there was and plenty
But from that cup no more
Though I could not caution all
I still might warn a few
Don't lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools

Ship of fools on a cruel sea
Ship of fools sail away from me
It was later than I thought when I first believed you
Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools

It was later than I thought when I first believed you
Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools.

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Lost Sailor — Grateful Dead

Compass card is spinning, helm is swinging to and fro
Oh, where is the dog star, oh, where's the moon.
You're a lost sailor, been away too long at sea.

Somedays the gales are howling, sometimes the sea is still as glass.
Oh, raise the main sail, oh, lash the mast.
You're a lost sailor, been away too long at sea.
Now the shorelines beckon, there is a price for being free.

There's a sea bird cryin' and there's a ghost wind blowing
And it's calling you, to that misty swirling sea.
Till the chains of your dreams are broken,
No place in this world you can be.

You're a lost sailor, been away too long at sea.
Now the shorelines beckon, there is a price for being free.

You pay for being free, I'll tell ya freedom don't come easy,
Free don't always come for free,
Sometimes it's hard to know what to believe in.

Where to go, who to go, where to be, who to be.
That means you're driftin'... driftin'
Yeah driftin' and dreamin', really goin' on a dream now.
Really goin' on a feelin', really goin' on a feelin'.
Driftin', driftin' and dreamin'.

Cause it's a place you've never been
Maybe a place you've never seen now
You can hear them callin' on the wind
Driftin' and dreamin', driftin' and dreamin'.
Really goin' on a dream now, really goin' on a dream now,
Really goin' on a dream now.

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Smooth Sailing — Queens of the Stone Age

It's all in motion, no stoppin' it now
I got nothing to lose and only one way up
I'm burning bridges, I destroy the mirage
All visions of collisions, fucking bon voyage

It's all smooth sailing
From here on out

I got bruises and hickies, stitches and scars
Got my own theme music, plays wherever I are
Fear is the hand that pulls your strings
A useless toy, pitiful plaything
I'm in flagrante
In every way
Every day

It's all smooth sailing
From here on out
I'm gon' do the damage
That needs getting done

Well, God only knows one long vacation
If reason is priceless there's no reason to pay for it
(It's so easy to see)
Yet so hard to find
Make a mountain of a mole hill, if…
If the mole hill is mine

I hypnotize you, ignore, then defy you
I blow my load over the status quo, here we go
I'm a little bit nonchalant when I dance
I'm risking it all-ways, no second chance

It's gonna be smooth sailing
From here on out
I'm gon' do the damage
'Til the damage is done

Well, God only knows so mind your behavior
Follow prescriptions of your, loaded savior
(Every temple is gold) Every hook is designed
Hell is at the temple of the closed mind…
Closed mind…
Closed mind…
Closed mind…

It's all smooth sailing
From here on out
Shut up
Pow!

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Only the Ocean — Jack Johnson

After all this time after all these seasons
After your one decision to go to the water for reason
Now it's only the ocean and you
And all these lines will all be erased soon
They go out with the tide
Then come back with the waves
It's only the ocean and you

You don't want you don't wait
You don't love but you don't hate
You just roll over me and you pull me in

When this work is done and this coat is dry
When this world is too much, it will be
Only the ocean and me

When these sails go up, mountains fade away
Stars come out, I'm finally free
It's only the ocean and me

You don't want, you don't wait
You don't love, but you don't hate
You just roll over me and you pull me in
And you pull me in
You don't want, you don't wait
You don't love, but you don't hate
You just roll over me and you pull me in
And you pull me in
You just roll over me and you pull me in!

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Tara Cooney

Tara Cooney is a New Zealand based sailor, writer, photographer and current Saltwater Journal Editor-at-Large.

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Survival At Sea: What To Pack In Your Grab Bag