The Captain & The Sea

The Captain & The Sea is the oldest known song indigenous to the island of Ija. It tells the story of the maiden voyage to the island, when Ninyo, the unnamed captain, gathered up a motley crew of would-be pioneers, and set sail to claim the uncharted land as their own. Written to inspire the crew when they were becalmed by unfavourable winds, it was later adopted by the inhabitants during the earliest days of the founding of Flotsam, and has since become one of the city's two unofficial anthems (alongside The Ballad of Crimsontide) and a staple shanty for crews across the south of Zakhara & Faerûn.

Allegory
Pirates, even those turned settler, do not give up their roots easily, and the keen observer may note that almost the whole song is an allegory for the sexual pursuit and conquest of a woman. Imagery such as thundering cannons, ploughed waves and spray, losing one's wind and tides, leaky barrels, wondrous deeps, prizes revealed, dropping anchor where life starts, drunkenly boasting of one's luck, and possessively protecting hard fought territory all point to the idea that the captain's job is to seduce and dominate the sea, and make her his mistress.

Style
The shanty follows a classic call and response format, usually led by the bosun or first mate. Sung either in unison (as marked in bold), or solo by the leader, each line splits into a very simple two part harmony at the end. Instrumentation is formed from whatever shipworthy instruments are at hand, usually lutes, drums, accordions, or fiddles, one of the last two being required for the lead line in the upbeat instrumental outro.

Lyrics
"""""I said long live the captain, boys, long long live the man""When you hear the cannons thunder, it is just by his command ""And long live the ocean, boys, long long live the sea ""She's the source of all our plunder and a violent mystery ""We set sail to plough her, boys, and feel her heavy spray""But the winds have left our backs, and all the tides have gone away""The rum's getting low, my boys, the barrel's sprung a leak""And the rats ate all the biscuits, so fat rats are what we'll eat""I said long live the captain, boys, long long live the man""When you hear the cannons thunder, it is just by his command""And long live the ocean, boys, long long live the sea""She's the source of all our plunder and a violent mystery""Her deep's full of mermaids, boys, and wonders to behold""But there's nothing there more wondrous than what stole the captain's soul""He told us of treasure, boys, of life beyond the leash""So we can't be calmed or slaves, because we're bound for living free""I said long live the captain, boys, long long live the man""When you hear the cannons thunder, it is just by his command""And long live the ocean, boys, long long live the sea""She's the source of all our plunder and a violent mystery""And it's “Land! Ho!” and off we go, the crow has got his eyes ""And the captain's kept his promise, and the sea reveals her prize""So we're dropping the anchor, boys, where the world begins ""And we'll brag about our fortune when we're three sheets to the wind ""Cos we've come far to get here, boys, lost many on the way""If the captain left us scuppered, there'd be all nine hells to pay""And for them tries to take it, boys, we'll come and trim their sails""If you don't know this land is ours, it's because dead men tell no tales"