I tell ye 'bout me father he was a cautious man
And in his small saloon there was this man called Scurvy Dan
His speech was solely curses and his songs they chilled me bones
He sang 'bout haunted galleys - he sang 'bout Davey Jones
An' late at night the song turned into a quite seditious moan
Crying ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
But he was found by stately men and sure they had him hang
But with me stayed the tales of sea - the words he often sang
But this song is 'bout me father who was a cautious man
Who got in loads of trouble for keeping Scurvy Dan
Who all the way to hangman's gate before me as I ran
Shouting ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
I tell ye 'bout me father he was a cautious man
E' said me lad you do yer labour as tidy as ye can
But on the day the royal crown took away his land
Not he nor any cautious man took an honest stand
But I a lad of 14 years I shouted like man
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
An' I was thrown in jail of course me age had saved me neck
But I escaped to open sea to swab a schooners deck
An' soon I learned for sure this world's no place for cautious men
And I - I made a name fer me at the local pirate den
And soon all rats that sail the sea they knew of Scurvy Ben
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
An' I returned to Port Royal with a bulky fleet
There was one man that I fer sure was very keen to meet
In hours we had crushed their ships and stormed up to their fort
And fought of cautious men at arms of the lowest sort
Then I was injured and enclosed on the dusty court
Shouting ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
They hacked away and fired shots and I was surely doomed
But then some loud bangs reached me ears and a man above me loomed
There stood me sturdy father no more a cautious man
The grimmest smile upon his face, a musket in his hand
He grabbed me hand, he pat me back, he dragged me to me feet
Shouting ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
An' with new strength an' side by side we breached the wooden doors
Our sabres gleamed, our pistols cracked and soon there on the floor
Lay that bilge rat gov'nor in blood and silk and gore
An' out there in the twilight gleam rose a rhythmic roar
The whole towns men was in the street shouting voice for war
Shouting ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!
Yo ho! Yo ho!
Hi ho! Hi ho!
All rise against the gov'nor!