Heave Ho! (shanty in progress)

  • hallower1980
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    I'm a songwriter, so thought I'd try my hand at a shanty. Before I get further into it, perhaps y'all can help me steer with some feedback. It's fashioned after shanties that bounce back-and-forth between a cantor and full crew singing. I've got an idea of how it's sung and I might pepper the verses with instrumentals. But for now I'm mainly just trying to form the lyrics. It starts with the chorus (full crew).

    heave ho! heave ho!
    fetch up the lines and raise the stone
    heave ho! heave ho!
    unfurl her sails and let her go

    arrhg, aye! arrgh, aye!
    chase the wind and plead the sky
    arrgh, aye! arrgh, aye!
    we probably will sail until we die

    heave ho! heave ho!
    what do you see from up high, crow?
    heave ho! heave ho!
    nothing but blue and sailors old

    hold now! hold now!
    i see a ship afore the prow
    cannons now! cannons now!
    sing 'em a surly thunder, how

    (instrumental)

    heave all! heave all!
    we'll sail her through the blackest squall
    heave all! heave all!
    boom and crackle, crash and snap, and...

    heave, yell! heave, yell!
    iron forged harder than Hell
    heave, yell! heave, yell!
    you've got to live to tell the tale

    ....

    Maybe I can work a kraken into the final verse.

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  • hallower1980
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    On a related note, here's an article Rare posted today about how composer Robert Beanland, singer Anna Hon, and writer Chris Allcock produced the "We will sail together" theme for Sea of Thieves.

  • LostAtSeaKucz
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    Rare Employee

    Nice job @hallower1980! Do you also have music you're expecting to set this to? Would be cool to see how you tie this all together when it's finished :)

  • IOnEI Falcon
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    Very cool! Nice work :) I am terrible at writing so I admire you greatly for this.

  • littleandy454
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    @hallower1980 Hey there, checked in out of curiosity and decided I really like this. Nice work Hallower

  • hallower1980
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    Thanks!

    @valkyr13x said in Heave Ho! (shanty in progress):

    Do you also have music you're expecting to set this to? Would be cool to see how you tie this all together when it's finished :)

    Well, I know how I want to sing it. Simulating a crew with just my own voice will be an interesting experiment. I'm better at creating than recording, but I would like to try recording something.

    For the accompaniment and instrumental portions, I'm thinking something like a blend of Irish and Hans Zimmer. Maybe I can even incorporate this old riff (the first bit). The pace is about 100 bpm.

  • Seiino
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    @hallower1980

    Psst.

    (Filler)
    When the hull's a'crackin'
    (Filler)
    (Insert something about Krakens here because it's the only thing I could think of to rhyme.)

    Just making that suggestion because....vaguely Piratical Rhymes

  • Shammy McRed
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    @hallower1980 If you're looking for more voices, I'd be willing to add mine. Once the words are done, record it and send it to me, I'll listen to yours and record one of mine so yo can blend it in.

    Whatcha think?

    P.S. -- If there's music, it would help, but not necessary.

  • KattTruewalker
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    That's awesome and gives me an idea!

    How about we have a certain time of the week or month, where various songwriters, poets, story tellers can meet in game, at a suitable location and share their work? Everyone welcome..amateurs, professionals, have-a-goers, rpg'rs..everyone.

    I can't take credit for the idea as it was something that used to happen in a game I played previously, but I do know it was extremely popular with even the odd published author dropping in from time to time. I have been known to write the odd poem meself..... @lizalaroo

  • Shammy McRed
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    @KattTruewalker I used to do a lot of creative writing when I was younger, but been too busy with real life issues to spend time pretending to be a wordsmith.

  • Legendary Liz
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    @KattTruewalker said in Heave Ho! (shanty in progress):

    That's awesome and gives me an idea!

    How about we have a certain time of the week or month, where various songwriters, poets, story tellers can meet in game, at a suitable location and share their work? Everyone welcome..amateurs, professionals, have-a-goers, rpg'rs..everyone.

    I can't take credit for the idea as it was something that used to happen in a game I played previously, but I do know it was extremely popular with even the odd published author dropping in from time to time. I have been known to write the odd poem meself..... @lizalaroo

    I never got to listen in as the time it was held was way past my bedtime :D hehe!

  • KattTruewalker
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    @lizalaroo Mine too..but I did go, I'd just get up extra early, there were some extremely talented writers!

  • Legendary Liz
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    @KattTruewalker
    Yeah my bad. A stay up til 3 am! Should have done it at least once. After all I am a pirate. :D

  • hallower1980
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    I think I've got the last verse, with everyone shouting the last line together.

    gold ho! gold ho!
    every man will swim in gold
    no gold! no gold!
    bury the captain in the bloody hold

    arrgh, aye! arrgh, aye!
    none survives an empty prize
    arrgh, aye! arrgh, aye!
    we probably will sail until we die

  • IOnEI Falcon
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    @hallower1980 said in Heave Ho! (shanty in progress):

    I think I've got the last verse, with everyone shouting the last line together.

    gold ho! gold ho!
    every man will swim in gold
    no gold! no gold!
    bury the captain in the bloody hold

    arrgh, aye! arrgh, aye!
    none survives an empty prize
    arrgh, aye! arrgh, aye!
    we probably will sail until we die

    We probably will sail until we die!

    Love the gold ho! and no gold! :)

  • hallower1980
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    @timaeusTestifxd said in Heave Ho! (shanty in progress):

    @hallower1980

    Psst.

    (Filler)
    When the hull's a'crackin'
    (Filler)
    (Insert something about Krakens here because it's the only thing I could think of to rhyme.)

    Just making that suggestion because....vaguely Piratical Rhymes

    A little late, but here's a third verse for you. Push the gold verse to after.

    kraken ho! kraken ho!
    man the cannons, give it all
    kraken ho! kraken ho!
    we barely scratched the beast... where did it go?
    captain, fly! captain, fly!
    i can see it's evil eye
    captain, fly! captain, fly!
    he probably will chase until we die

  • Mi6 x NeRo
    Founder

    Awesome writing dude! Now all you need is amazing Anna from Rare to sing it!

  • hallower1980
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    Thanks. Actually, the sort of vocals I have in mind for this are closer to those in the Skyrim theme.

    If I do record it, I might make two versions: one with instrumental breaks between verses and one of just continuous singing.

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