Rapier and the Wave
From the gallows the skeleton key passed from my father to me
He said it would guide me home but he never explained it to me
And in the tavern I was a wretch; I’d sell you my hat for your last swig of ale
I awoke from a blackout in uniform under a sail
And on that frigate, three days from land
I raised my right hand
For the promise of rum and a meal
I took up their steel
And I realized I was serving the crown that had driven the People underground
What made me take the oath and risk an early grave?
It was only to live another day
And I know I will never be saved for I live by the Crown and the Wave
And I know I will never be saved for I live by the Rapier and the Wave
We were listing hard to port
I awoke to a ship full of plague
The rocks approaching, I told the captain
He laughed blood and sent me away
With a twist I opened the key
At the edge of the sea
A map in my grandfather’s hand
With a star and an ‘X’ in the sand
And I realized I was serving the Crown that had hunted my grandfather down
What made me break my oath and jump into the waves?
It was only to live another day
And I know I will never be saved for I live by the Rapier and the Wave
And I know I will never be enslaved for I live by the Rapier and the Wave
With this black pearl in my ear
And a crew that has mastered its fear
We seek out an island with secrets beneath in the sand
In battle our sword-arms have been forged
By mutiny our crew is enlarged
Our blood has turned to fire and rum
And the war on the Armada has begun
And since I started hunting the Crown, it is many a man I have drowned
What makes my swear an oath and leap into the fray?
In revenge for all the days they stole away
And I know I will never be saved for I live by the Rapier and the Wave
But I know I will never be enslaved for I live by the Rapier and the Wave
Author: Professor Plague