The Mariner's Revenge Song Lyrics
(written by: Colin Meloy)
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We are two mariners
Our ship's sole survivors
In this belly of a whale
It's ribs are ceiling beams
It's guts are carpeting
I guess we have some time to kill
You may not remember me
I was a child of three
And you, a lad of eighteen
But, I remember you
And I will relate to you
How our histories interweave
At the time you were
A rake and a roustabout
Spending all your money
On the whores and hounds
(oh, oh)
You had a charming air
All cheek and debonair
My widowed mother found so sweet
And so she took you in
Her sheets still warm with him
Now filled with filth and foul disease
As time wore on you proved
A debt-ridden drunken mess
Leaving my mother
A poor consumptive wretch
(oh, oh)
And then you disappeared
Your gambling arrears
The only thing you left behind
And then the magistrate
Reclaimed our small estate
And my poor mother lost her mind
Then, one day in spring
My dear sweet mother died
But, before she did
I took her hand as she, dying, cried:
(oh, oh)
"Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole until he
Wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling
Of his grave"
It took me fifteen years
To swallow all my tears
Among the urchins in the street
Until a priory
Took pity and hired me
To keep their vestry nice and neat
But, never once in the employ
Of these holy men
Did I ever, once turn my mind
From the thought of revenge
(oh, oh)
One night I overheard
The prior exchanging words
With a penitent whaler from the sea
The captain of his ship
Who matched you toe to tip
Was known for a wanton cruelty
The following day
I shipped to sea
With a privateer
And in the whistle
Of the wind
I could almost hear
(oh, oh)
"Find him, bind him
Tie him to a pole and break
His fingers to splinters
Drag him to a hole until he
Wakes up naked
Clawing at the ceiling
Of his grave
There is one thing I must say to you
As you sail across the sea
Always, your mother will watch over you
As you avenge this wicked deed"
(Instrumental ens.)
And then, that fateful night
We had you in our sight
After twenty months at sea
Your starboard flank abeam
I was getting my muskets clean
When came this rumbling from beneath
The ocean shook
The sky went black
And the captain quailed
And before us grew
The angry jaws
Of a giant whale
(oh..)
Don't know how I survived
The crew all was chewed alive
I must have slipped between his teeth
But, oh, what providence
What divine intelligence
That you should survive
As well as me
It gives my heart great joy
To see your eyes fill with fear
To lean in close
And I will whisper
The last words you'll hear
(Instrumental ens.)
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User Comments
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Mentalchaos
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08/06/2006
10:41:07
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At over eight minutes in lenght it's a very good thing this is the best song on the album.
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The Jeffman
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15/03/2006
04:16:02
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Very well written. It blew my mind.
In the first verse, the phrase "time to kill" confused me. Does he mean time to waste or time to literally kill?
Great song.
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nana10184
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29/12/2005
10:31:46
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Great Song xxxxxxxxxxxx
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AvatarofTruth
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19/11/2005
21:45:49
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A few corrections. First, 'its', when used possessively, does not require an apostrophe.
Cheek not cheap.
'After twenty months at sea', not 'it seemed'
'It gives my heart great joy' not 'It gives my eye'.
'So lean in close' not 'to lean in close'
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feelsxlikexfear
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25/08/2005
10:37:08
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It's amazinggg live.
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samarox
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17/08/2005
18:04:51
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*find him, find him,
tie him to a pole*
sorry folks, its
*find him, BIND him,
tie him to a pole*
i know its little, but those things matter to me.
what an amazing song, the chorus is almost haunting.
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getFuKeD
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17/06/2005
05:07:18
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It's even better live :)
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luv_goldeneye
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21/04/2005
17:57:12
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this song is amazing. i listen to it all the time it is just so great. all of their songs rock.
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immonen9
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08/04/2005
03:26:36
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It's about time we heard the return of the masterful accordian like in "The legionaire's lament". It might be the best song overall by the decemberists. The writing of this ballad is truly remarkable.
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marmox13
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29/03/2005
01:43:31
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i dare to say that this is probably the best on the album. colin, you amaze me
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