Wicked Women

Anne Bonny & Mary Read: Pirate Queens

Across the seven seas we sailed
With venom on our tongues
And hair that hung in flowing waves
With fire in our lungs

We gave as good as any man
We filched and stole and fought
But in the end our Rackham fell
The both of we was caught

We hissed and spat till blue and broke
We did not give up fast
We held our ground as best we could
Until the very last

And when we saw that we was beat
We did not tuck our tails
We held our heads up high and proud
And glanced up at the sails

The dogs below were dragged up top
They wobbled on their feet
While we did fight, they drunk their fill
And caused our last retreat

Cut and bruised we seethed with hate
We clenched our teeth and spat
"While you were all sleeping
Us girls were at the bat"

They locked us in a cellar
Stuffed full of mold and rats
And pointed at the bones they left
"We fed their flesh to cats"

Set to hang and die as scum
We hatched a plot real smart
For we were both with child then
I told them from the heart

"You can't kill us you'll kill the babes
We really must not hang
But if you want to kill us still
Please wait till they have sprang"

And so we stewed for nine long months
Alone with just the cries
Of all the dogs who brought us there
And all the corpsey flies

A cellar cell is not the place
To birth a babe so small
But still we held those wailing sprouts
Our greatest treasure haul

And as we nursed those tiny tikes
Jack Rackham he did swing
And we rejoiced to see the snow
Thawing into Spring

They let us free and told us plain
"You better stay real clean"
We crossed our hearts and both our babes
"That's the last we'll both be seen."