Hi Ingrid!

The indispensable resource for the real deal is "The Book of Pirate Songs" by Stuart M. Frank. (Published in 1998 by the Kendall Whaling Museum, Sharon, MA 02067 USA - ISBN: 0937854050) Dr. Frank, a great performer himself with a mile-long sea music resume, is Director of the Kendall Museum. He was working on this book when I was doing pirate-song research for a theatre piece a few years ago, and was kind enough to answer some heavy-duty questions. I'm very glad to see the book published - it's fantastic. It's available on Amazon, and I'm sure you could get a copy from the Kendall Whaling Museum or the Mystic Seaport Museum store.

If you're looking for something completely different, though, try - I can't believe I'm suggesting these at the same time - "I am a Pirate King" from "Pirates of Penzance" for unabashed classical goofiness or... (mentioned in Wavestar's thread, I think) for unrivaled punk bawdiness, try "The Good Ship Venus" aka "Friggin' in the Riggin'" sung by the Sex Pistols on their seminal album "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle".

Ken Schatz