To Sailor Songs Home Page
To Lyrics Home Page


This song is often incorrectly thought of as a sea shanty or an original pirate song. It was from a play. Wear a pirate costume and play this pirate style song for a great theme party.

Sailor Songs Logo
and downloads

Also known as "Derelict" by young E Allison,
ref: Treasure Island, Fifteen Men on a dead man's chest.

This is a great pirate theme party song.


Click here for a free
SHEET MUSIC
and TAB of
"Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Rum"


Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of "Rum" or
"Fifteen Men on A Dead Man's Chest"
originally entitled "Derelict"
was usd in the play Treasure Island in 1901.
The first verse was written by
Robert Lewis Stevenson for his book
"Treasure Island".

You can hear a sample of this song with the
device on the right.
You can buy a download and hear it in full
in just a few moments.
this song is recorded and sung by Roger Chartier on the
"Sailing Away" CD

Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Rum   

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 the whole ship's list
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Dead and be damned and the rest gone whist!
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
The skipper lay with his nob in gore
Where the scullion's axe his cheek had shore
And the scullion he was stabbed times four
And there they lay, and the soggy skies
Dripped down in up-staring eyes
In murk sunset and foul sunrise
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, damn 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!

More was seen through a sternlight screen...
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Chartings undoubt where a woman had been
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
'Twas a flimsy shift on a bunker cot
With a dirk slit sheer through the bosom spot
And the lace stiff dry in a purplish blot
Oh was she wench or some shudderin' maid
That dared the knife and took the blade
By God! she had stuff for a plucky jade
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

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.
We wrapped 'em all in a mains'l tight
With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight
And we heaved 'em over and out of sight,
With a Yo-Heave-Ho! and a fare-you-well
And a sudden plunge in the sullen swell
Ten fathoms deep on the road to hell,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

 

The Original song title was "Derelict"
and in 1901 was used in a play "Treasure Island"
more lyrics added by Young Ewing Allison 1891.
On this page you can see an original Broadsheet
of the song as it was entitled "Derelict"
for the 1901 play "Treaasure Island".

Lyrics courtesy of www.sailorsongs.com
sailor songs   sailing away
 
 
 

 
Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Rum is on CD#2 "Sailing Away"
You can hear a sample of it! Buy the download here
Yo HO HO and A Bottle Of Rum. The original song was entitled "derelict"

This song is in a sea shanty category but isn't a real sea shanty. Sea shanties were work songs. Folk songs of the sailors. Books of songs are available but you can get the music for the song here. There are books of sea shanties available on the sailorsongs sea shanty store.

On the compact disc recording of this sea chanty song I have used a lot of different musical instruments. Bass guitar, violin, guitar and percussion instruments, etc., as well as my singing voice. One nice thing about being here is the link to the store where you can buy recordings of my two cd's as either regular compact discs of sea shanties or download the songs individually.

Also available are many recordings of sea shanties or sea chanties as they are sometimes called by other folk singers and chantymen. On the left column of this page are the lyrics for those folks who don't need the sheet music. Sing sea shanties by the seashore, it's good fun!

Play the video.

Let me say Hello!

I'm Roger Chartier and I'd like to tell you about a great way to learn guitar.
So many of these songs are fun to play but if you can't play guitar yet you really do love the songs it can be frustrating.
Here's the cure!Here is a great tutorial course that can be of great help to you in learning to play guitar. Jam-o-rama Acoustic guitar teaches you to play guitar both by reading tablature and by ear. You will learn to play songs and build a repertoire of your own to play for yourself and friends or an open mic event sooner than you would think.

This course of study is fun and will keep your interest for a long time as you learn new things on the guitar. Click Here! to go the site and download it now!

Privacy Policy roger@rogerchartier.com www.ourwholeworld.com Sailorsongs blog www.rc123.com www.taxman123.com
www.moneytopaythebills.com www.seniorsentertainer.com www.sailorsongs.com www.rogerchartier.com  Our Whole World Blog Sailmonster Roger