Sittin' at the dockside linin' for fish,
With all idle time that a man could wish
The world goes black with a crack on the head,
Wake with an ache and a belly unfed,
Take a look around and you wish you were dead,
'Cause you're Workin' on a Slaver!
Singin' Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you pull the oars of the galleon
Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you row your soul away
Can't wait in the mornin' for the day to end,
(Workin' on a Slaver!)
And the touch of the whip is your only friend
(Workin' on a Slaver!)
They'll work you hard and they'll work you fast,
When you get enough courage to talk at last,
Then they'll wrap your entrails around the mainmast,
When you're Workin' on a Slaver!
Singin' Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you pull the oars of the galleon
Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you row your soul away
Well, the food they serve ends up at your feet,
(Workin' on a Slaver!)
"If you eat ship rats then you get more meat"
(Workin' on a Slaver!)
You raise the oars at the captain's call,
And no one claims that it hurts them at all,
'Cause it's nothin' when compared to a good keel-haul
When you're Workin' on a Slaver!
Singin' Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you pull the oars of the galleon
Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you row your soul away
What do you do with a broken sailor,
What do you do with a broken sailor,
What do you do with a broken sailor,
Early in the morning
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Early in the morning
Throw him overboard and drag 'im on the anchor
Throw him overboard and drag 'im on the anchor
Throw him overboard and drag 'im on the anchor
Early in the morning
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Early in the morning
Feed him to the sharks 'till the bones is floatin'
Feed him to the sharks 'till the bones is floatin'
Feed him to the sharks 'till the bones is floatin'
Early in the morning
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Early in the morning
Hang him from the mast as a jolly roger,
Hang him from the mast as a jolly roger,
Hang him from the mast as a jolly roger,
Early in the morning
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Way, hey, up he rises,
Early in the morning
What do you do with a broken sailor,
What do you do with a broken sailor,
What do you do with a broken sailor,
Early in the morning
Way, heeeeeeey,
Early in the morning
There is no escapin' of the devilish pit,
(Workin' on a Slaver!)
If you talk revolution then your tongue gets split
(Workin' on a Slaver!)
You can't speak truth and you don't dare lie,
If you make them kill you then you're braver than I,
'Cause they think of hellish ways for a man to die,
When you're Workin' on a Slaver!
Singin' Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you pull the oars of the galleon
Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you row your soul away
Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you pull the oars of the galleon
Yo Ho, Crack your Back in Two!
As you row your soul away