Tom Waits - Shiver Me Timbers Lyrics
I'm leavin' my fam'ly
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
My tears are salt water
And the moon's full and high
And I know Martin Eden's
Gonna be proud of me
And many before me
Who've been called by the sea
To be up in the crow's nest
Singin' my say
Shiver me Timbers
And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me, now.
So swallow me, don't follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone
So please call my missus
Gotta tell her not to cry
'Cause my goodbye is written
By the moon in the sky
Hey and nobody knows me
I can't fathom my stayin'
Shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me
So come and swallow me, follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone
And I'm leavin' my family
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
Upon a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Tom Waits - 2:19
- Tom Waits - The Part You Throw Away
- Tom Waits - Starving In The Belly Of A Whale
- Tom Waits - Lullaby
- Tom Waits - Another Man's Vine
- Tom Waits - God's Away On Business
- Tom Waits - All The World Is Green
- Tom Waits - Coney Island Baby
- Tom Waits - Everything Goes To Hell
- Tom Waits - Misery Is The River Of The World
- Tom Waits - Barcarolle
- Tom Waits - Fish & Bird
- Tom Waits - I'm Still Here
- Tom Waits - Reeperbahn
- Tom Waits - Watch Her Disappear
- Tom Waits - We're All Mad Here
- Tom Waits - Lost In The Harbour
- Tom Waits - Woe
Rand Lyrics
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Tom Waits Shiver Me Timbers Comments
Tom Waits can "Shiver Me Timbers" all the time ;)
One of my favorite album by Tom Waits :)
Hes sincere. Thats what its gold. Thats why its rare.
Ti ascolto e riascolto e.mi piaci sempre di più favoloso
I don't know, call me crazy. I know he wrote it, for me this is the worst version is. Bette midler knocks it out of the park.
This is gonna be played when my ashes are dumped in The Hudson River.
I can't believe ' the last ship' is over
His voice sure was different then. 1974 I like the later "cigarettes and whiskey" resonance. It's all good with this guy.
He deliberately changed his voice you know. I have trouble getting into his cookie monster vaudeville type stuff. His voice on the early albums is fantastic though maybe he didn't stand out enough which is why he changed his style probably.
woooowwwwwww
Just beautifully somber. I love just about any song about sailing or ships...dont know why. It just touches something in me. But you get the feeling this one us straight up but metaphorical at the same time. Btw, it was also used on NUMB3RS s6 e4, end of episode.
The Last Ship....
💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜I love this song
I'm happy for you, Tom would rather sow a cows udder to his face than make money out of his art. His words.
I'm leavin' my family
And leavin' my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
On a new front page sky
My tears are salt water
And the moon's full and high
And I know Martin Eden's
Gonna be proud of me
And many before me
Who've been called by the sea
To be up in the crow's nest
And singin' my say
Shiver me Timbers
I'm a-sailin' away
The fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
And I'm driftin' on out
And Ol' Captain Ahab
Ain't got nothin' on me
So come on and swallow me, don't follow me
I travel alone
Blue water's my daughter
And I'm gonna skippin' like a stone
And please call my missus
Tell her not to cry
My goodbye is written
By the moon in the sky
And nobody knows me
I can't fathom my stayin'
And shiver me timbers
I'm a-sailin' away
And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
And I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me
So come on and swallow me, don't follow me
I travel alone
Blue water's my daughter
And I'm skippin' like a stone
And I'm leavin' my family
And I'm leavin' my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
On a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers
I'm a-sailin' away
Lovely song, thank you for the lyrics.
Can't bet it.
“The longest part of the journey is said to be the passing of the gate.”
Marcus Terentius Varro
.
.
.
.
.
.
Will
Beautiful
I just checked the comments to see the 41 cretins who disliked this song.
What did you expect, just take a look at the world how messed up it is
Hey sailors Willie and Joey, our girl Annie is getting married! Wish you were here to give her Pisces heart away. Go Navy xxoo
For my Dad and my nephew Joey.... Navy forever. Gone but never forgotten my loves. XXXOOO
Dude thanks but I have words.for the same soug ..There's( iDON'T have spell check ever words,,,just diff ones... its real but i dig yours song writing blab b[ab but i do mate
the pirate song shiver me timbers---i live some time in Aisa ,Thailand Cambida but i live on The island of Kauai for 30 somethings years,, Thy why thanks look if your evert on Kauai I play bass with somr of you friends that what i do....take care mate
Great tune fantastic album 🇨🇦
Voor jou broer.. ♥️
Hit the like button if you heard this song first in the last ship series🙂 or simply raise your hand😎
The last ship
染みる…
The Last Ship brought me here!
The last ship brought me here
history of many lives
the last ship bring me here :3
老歌好聽 ^^
The Last Ship brought me here
The Last Ship den geldik. Zaten dinleyicisiydik.
Selam kandaşım.
Zaten zevk ile dinliyordum yillardir
The Last Ship bring me here
got it from the movies series, The Last Ship, season 4 Episode 4...I love it.
This was on "The Last Ship"
that's what brought me here
THIS is now my official funeral song for this old Sailor!
"The Last Ship" is how I got to know this great song.
Welcome home, Captain Chandler
came here thanks to The Last Ship
Yeah. Me too. We've lost so many other awesome crew members. They already did the Mike-needs-rescuing episode and when they did it again I thought...damn, this is it. No more Jane on The Last Ship 8-(
Same here.
Welcome home everybody
i thought captain slattery was gonna die and i.cried
Highly regarded amongst musicians and song writers alike as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation.. No one writes quiet like Tom...
no one compares.
Check out south side Johnny doing this. You might be surprised.
Is it ok if I'm coming a little late to the party? I heard this song when re-watching Numbers.
My love of music started developing in the 70s, and I was heavily influenced by the music my parents listened to:Kenny Rogers; Mac Davis; John Denver; Eagles - those are the names I remember as being standards in our house. There were also individual songs that I remember, but not much else about the artists and bands who sang them.
But, I don't remember ever hearing Tom Waits. I plan on asking my Mom why. And I plan on coming back to check out more of his music in the coming days.
I'm leavin' my fam'ly
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
On a new front page sky
My tears are salt water
And the moon's full and high
And I know Martin Eden's
Gonna be proud of me
And many before me
Who've been called by the sea
To be up in the crow's nest
Singin' my say
Shiver me Timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me, now.
So swallow me, don't follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone
So please call my missus
Gotta tell her not to cry
'Cause my goodbye is written
By the moon in the sky
Hey and nobody knows me
I can't fathom my stayin'
Shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me
So come and swallow me, follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone
And I'm leavin' my family
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
Upon a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
I heard him do this song (and others) live in the early 70's on the campus of the University of Illinois campus in Champaign. It still speaks me like it did then. Along with Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night.
😂😂😂😂
He's not THAT underrated. He's in the R'n'R Hall of Fame. Some don't even make it in there while they're alive. He is a true American GEM.
one of the most underrated Artists in america
Well i dont feel like he was ever going to be or ever tried to be a hit making artist. So yea in that respect i agree, his fame probably isnt proportional to his huge talent. That said have you ever heard a negative opinion about mr waits as an artist?
I really love how he is the complete performance package. He uses his lyrics, distinct voice, creative/diverse instruments and a sort of seedy character that all combine to make you feel a certain way. To top it all off hes actually one of the wittiest people ive seen interviewed and manages to wield that wit without breaking his rundown, macabre persona.
+Haribo7432 Well said! Have you heard the rumor that he might've been Heath Ledger's inspiration for The Joker?
+Roman Ramos haha really? that's pretty cool.
er @Haribo7432
that is very true, i don't think he's ever tried, he seems to only make what he WANTS to make, and i respect him for that, i guess what i meant really was i wish he got the exposure that he deserves, just like you said.
Your comment reminds me of something my little brother said once... We were out on a balcony at a small party at our mothers place his girlfriend had just introduced him to tom waits (He was 17 at the time and i was 19) he asked me if he could barrow some of my tom waits CDs (I had been listening to him since i was 16) And then he said "Tom Waits rarely records music videos and when he sued someone for ripping him off he paid the money to charity i think he is a musician because he wants too rather than for the money" Something like that at least but you can problably imagine how proud i was at him :)
I cry every time I hear this , such a beautiful song
Just sublime....
RMS MUSIC SOCIETY TOP 100 SONGS OF ALL-TIME....like us on facebook to receive our free new music newsletter
Very cool stuff. Our band's lead singer is largely influenced by this stuff. Check it out if you get a chance. Peace!!
Ed Word & The Misinformation Superhighway
for my friend Pete who died 13 years ago.. one of his favorite musicians! and and appropriate song for his passing. miss you brother!
I believe he rote the song as a tribute to Jack Kerouac
words
"Shiver Me Timbers"
I'm leavin' my fam'ly
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
On a new front page sky
My tears are salt water
And the moon's full and high
And I know Martin Eden's
Gonna be proud of me
And many before me
Who've been called by the sea
To be up in the crow's nest
Singin' my say
Shiver me Timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me, now.
So swallow me, don't follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone
So please call my missus
Gotta tell her not to cry
'Cause my goodbye is written
By the moon in the sky
Hey and nobody knows me
I can't fathom my stayin'
Shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
And the fog's liftin'
And the sand's shiftin'
I'm driftin' on out
Ol' Captain Ahab
He ain't got nothin' on me
So come and swallow me, follow me
I'm trav'lin' alone
Blue water's my daughter
'n I'm gonna skip like a stone
And I'm leavin' my family
Leavin' all my friends
My body's at home
But my heart's in the wind
Where the clouds are like headlines
Upon a new front page sky
And shiver me timbers
'Cause I'm a-sailin' away
brings me back to my navy days... smoking my pre-watch cigarette and looking up at the stars over the Pacific night sky, with the smell of jet fuel in the air. It was my favorite time of the day. 5 minutes of peace.
+b a a d e r t h a n m e i n h o f me too
Atlantic Fleet Navy man. Many nights looking at the stars. You are right. so peaceful. This WILL be my funeral song.
achigurh lovely dude. And thank you for your service
I don't want to sound macabre, but I always thought this would be the perfect song to play at my funeral.
@Kelly Thayer wow, that is weird indeed but also special. My dad died the 14th. And your dad?
I hadn't thought of it that way, but yeah. It would be perfect to use that way. To go by the replies, apparently it has been. Ha, ha, listening to the song as I've been reading these comments, I'm now sitting here crying. I only hope that you haven't had reason to have it played for you just yet. :)
Join the gang
I can see that but I always thought his Anywhere I Lay My Head would be even cooler at my funeral. haha
Chris Black played it at my dad’s in ‘04. Put it on every time I want to cry. And as we have a connection to Waits, we let him know and he said he was honored.
Walked into a bar in the Strand one evening, 1975ish, ordered a pint and heard some music coming from the concert room. Wandered through and encountered Tom Waits live for the first time. A magical evening. Bought this album the next day.
McP's ?
I am willing to bet the Piano had been drinking, not him :-)
Phil Wood , Holy Mackerel.
I’m 64 and first heard him when I was in my 20s. I was amazed.
Lucky you, man! What would I do to be there...
I genuinely feel sorry for the two people who didn't like this.
Now at 43! Unbelievable!
@natasha eddleman now 45. I don't understand these people
I agree. Go figure. What's not to like? Them two must be "deef".
Mine, too. " The moon is a silver slipper it's pouring champagne stars" LOVE LOVE LVOE
Gabby Par.9sons
@vendeta837 "A little silver slipper of a moon" appears in The Glass Menagerie. But I prefer it pouring champagne stars!
This one is to be played when I'm laid to rest. It's in the instructions in my will. Simply says it all. Brilliant.
A friend played it at my son's memorial service.
who disliked this may rot in hell
Si Tom... Vos la tenes...
Paints his canvas beautifully, then dabs details here and there to produce a masterpiece.
One of my all time favs.
i'll never stop loving this song, few have romanced the sea, and made me want to become a seaman
At times (or on whole albums, actually) you will hear him lisp too.
Also just a shtick. Waits is into sounds, you know...
Oh, I had no idea. At first I thought he sounded like the cookie monster, but I'll admit I've grown to really appreciate his raspy voice.
It isn't smoking, pal, he deliberately changed his voice this way, according to a biography.
Mt Mt Boom -
Man, smoking really damaged his voice. He sounds fantastic here.
I love this song your friend, Linda
Linda Cabrnoch
he started listening to Captain Beefheart in the early 80's which greatly influenced Swordfishtrombones
I'm a big fan of his for about 35 years....never get tired of hearing this.
He's such a little-known treasure of American music. Every song is timeless.
Yep he can cut bullshit, he's a true artist
Tom said Bruce made him his first million bucks.
Actually Springsteen covered several songs from Tom Waits :)
sounds kinda like a springsteen song
That is sacrilegious, Springsteen worked to make money. Tom is an artist
the most beautifull song I've ever heard!
ジャズ畑のボーンズ・ハウを迎えた、しわがれ男トム・ウェイツ、アサイラム第二作”土曜日の夜”過大評価気味の楽曲群だがこのバラードはイイ"ShiverTheTimbers"
@drewlyttle The 'other guy' is the great Captain Beefheart (RIP). He doesn't do that deep voice in all his songs (see Hang On, Orphans), it's not a act, it's just a way he sings sometimes. There's no way in hell however that he's able to sing like this now.
@chillstylergirl88 It is a fake voice,his modern raunchy voice.Some other guy influenced him,and I also heard it started as a character voice for a song and he loved it and stuck with it.I heard a concert from 2001 and he did al oldy and he sang normal,still and little rougher but like the first couple albums
fantastic song his ability to pull at the heartstrings is amazing ! genius !
He's honest perhsps
@chillstylergirl88 The new style does take a bit getting used to, I'll admit. But it doesn't take long before it gets under your skin, and once it does you can't go back, I assure you. May I suggest a few personal favourites: Invitation to the Blues, Hold On, Time, Tom Traubert's Blues, Falling Down, Make It Rain, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. That last one took me a while to get, but boy does it pack a punch!
Oh and as a bonus, take some time to read the lyrics :)
Popeye's favourite song ever.
Dazzy lol
one day it wont hurt so much to listen to this song
Tom Waits has a way of just ripping my heart out and handing it right back to me. I love him.
Yep, been there, especially cooking with wine
C'est excellent ! On peut l'écouter des heures sans se lasser.
one of my favorite tom waits albums. wonderful buncha songs and feelings. fine musicianship with a san diego serenade in the heart of saturday night. trembling
Played this song at my aunt's wake. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. Thanks Tom... I miss you Tia...
That's beautiful
What a beautiful, beautiful song. Waits really encapsulated the essence of ambiance in human life. God bless him.
what a strong, gentle song. I love Tom Waits.
Great song, it's real, if you know what I mean. Very Folkie and that is goo....
Thank you, Tom....
I feel it to, he's not a commercial artist by his own admission. He's a very rare commodity.
Great song, it's real, if you know what I mean. Very Folkie and that is goo....
Tom Waits is without any doubt the most underrated artist alive right now.
Thanks for this song!!
Great version. I was only familiar with the earlier, piano only version. The additional instruments really are a great enhancement. Beautiful song!
Beautiful, in an ugly sort of way!
There will never be another like Tom Waits!!
what a wonderful song!
I really love this song, so sad !