Lyrics for Shanty for the Arethusa as interpreted by sendthestars

Shanty for the Arethusa Lyrics
We set to sail on a packet full of spice, rum, and tea leaves
We've emptied out all the bars and the bowery hotels
Tell your daughters, do not walk the streets alone tonight
Tell your daughters, do not walk the streets alone tonight

To tell the tale of the Jewess and the Mandarin Chinese boy
He led her down from her gilded canopy of cloth
And through her blindfold she could make out the figures there before her
And how the air was thick with incense, cardamom, and myrrh

So goodnight, boys, goodnight
Say goodnight, boys, goodnight

We set to sail on the clipper that's bound for South Australia
The weather's warm there, the natives are dark and nubile
But if you listen, quiet, you can hear the footsteps on the cross-trees
The ghosts of sailors passed, their spectral bodies clinging to the shrouds

So goodnight, boys, goodnight
Say goodnight, boys, goodnight

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  • 29 Comments
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OjosBrillantes
04-26-2004

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this song is brilliant

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hermajesty
04-28-2004

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I second that. This song is so freaking awesome.

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Bryia_026
02-21-2005

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does anyone else think this song is about stealing kids and selling them into slavery? or perhaps pirates?

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Bryia_026
02-21-2005

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does anyone else think this song is about stealing kids and selling them into slavery? or perhaps pirates?

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pumkinhed
02-21-2005

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makes sense. but i think it's just one of those old fashioned sea shanties, just significantly modernised.

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Mellow_Harsher
03-06-2006

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Just a side-note, in Greek mythology, Arethusa was a nymph who fled from a potential suitor to Sicily and was transformed into a fountain.

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Cherub Rock
04-24-2006

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Great opener. "Tell your daughters, do not walk the streets alone tonight"...very memorable

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boroaskitur
07-29-2006

Rated 0 
these songs are such rich delightful stories.
enchanting, and delicious for the imagination.
it's brilliant.

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dnowik
08-29-2006

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"But if you listen, quiet, you can hear the footsteps on the cross-trees"

If you listen quietly, you can actually hear the footsteps.
mwahahah.

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CynofChaos
09-11-2006

Rated 0 
Haunting, it evokes such dark imagery. I love how Colin's voice sounds when he sings the chorus. The maracas are a great touch too.

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yo mamma!
11-08-2006

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fucking awesome

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Socha
12-17-2006

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most tasteful song about about pirate rape ever.

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Leslie Ann Levine
12-27-2006

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What's with the Chinese boy?? Anyone else got a clue?

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jxnarcoticz
12-31-2006

Rated 0 
Why the fuck would anyone want to be turned into a fountain? Greek mythology freaks me out. For example- Apollo and Daphne. Daphne's dad turned her into a tree in order to escape Apollo's love.
The ancient Greeks were a weird, weird people.

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1 Reply
acityinspain
02-02-2007

Rated 0 
i agree with socha, theres nothing like a good pirate song about stealing women.

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the-grant
02-28-2007

Rated 0 
Well put, Socha.
I couldn't have summed it up any better.

Its a haunting song. Really good.

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olem77
03-09-2007

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I might be wrong, but does this song in some way involve the practice of shipping english criminals to Australia? Thinking about the "we set to sail on a clipper.." bit.

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funkybass85
05-08-2007

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I dunno but I was listening to it in the car and I got the feeling like someone else said that it was a gang pirate rape with a Jewish guy? (I originally thought the words were a U.S boy) and a Mandarin Chinese guy. Then I suppose they took the girl to their lair or ship and yeah. Then she took them to court and they were arrested and sent to Australia and went insane and were haunted by the ghosts of people they had wronged. Sort of like a combination of Date Rape by Sublime and the fourth Harry Potter book but completely different. But the part I don't get is the say goodnight boys goodnight. Maybe they are going to be hanged?

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Ticket
08-02-2007

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I agree that I believe it has to do with selling slaves of some sort. Especially if you listen at the beginning, you hear a girl's scream. And surrounding the chorus are the rattling of chains.

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fishboy
08-13-2007

Rated 0 
olem: south Australia never had convicts sent to it, something that we're oddly proud of. we also never had any pirates, and surprisingly few shipwrecks. and depending on where you are and what time of the year it is the weather is either hellishly hot of fscking freezing

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anemptyroom
09-02-2007

Rated 0 
I looked up "Arethusa," and the HMS Arethusa was a frigate ship in the Royal Navy in the 18th Century, captured from the French in 1759. Yay Wikipedia! I'd imagine that's what all of the sailing references mean.

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TireSwing
02-12-2008

Rated 0 
Well it's interesting. D: Because while the song does mention that story it says "mention" which I just think is like...A threat? So to speak. I'm guessing pirates as well. You have to be pretty crude to go cleaning out shifty bars and what not. xD

The part that reeeeeeeeally sticks out to me is "The Gilded canopy of cloth" Which, when you think about the meaning of gilded, it's kinda like calling the woman pretty worthless in comparison. D:

could be about slaves. Good question. The chains and the "Say Good night, boys, goodnight." After all, Australia did have a Slave Trade didn't they? =/ The natives? Maybe they're gonna go GET some.

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Evil Herbivore
07-16-2008

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'We've emptied out all the bars and the bowery hotels'

Might be a reference to the Navy Press gangs which sought out men to crew the ships (mostly against their will). They'd often raid bars and hotels and merchant ships to get men. Possibly not in this context, I just like the idea :)

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synth3sia
08-01-2008

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I think this song is another reference to Dylan Thomas's play 'Under Milk Wood.' I believe the no-good boyo in 'Billy Liar' is another reference to a character (Nogood Boyo) in Under Milk Wood. I'm not exactly sure of the significance of the Arethusa, since I haven't actually read or heard the play (also was a radio drama), other than the fact that it was a ship in the play. I love the feeling of this song, I think of foggy nights with no moon and skeletal trees.

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jfish2
10-08-2008

Rated 0 
No need to look to pirates to give ominous portent to your song. The sailing ship tradition is full of ruff characters rooted out from the bad parts of bad cities to form crews of legitimate sailing vessels. Also, the shanty tradition contains numerous examples of lyrics containing self references to the crew, perhaps tongue in cheek, as being something to be afraid of when let loose on the gentle and unsuspecting womanhood, the vessel of culture, manners and civilized behavior in the victorian age. The juxtaposition of the ruff seaman and the fine lady is also a mainstay of sea lore. Befor the holocaust, morality tales using jews as examples of bad behavior in a largely christian culture were not necessarily considered incorrect. Stories like this are thankfully not heard in the main stream any more, and deserve to be pointed out as anti-semitic, but its mear mention helps set the 19th century time frame of the song very nicely. For me, this song is all about ambiance, and to try and have it mean one thing, or to narrow it down deflates its effect.

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