These 4 Pirate Songs for kids are guaranteed to go down well! When my daughters were little, they’d come home from brownies singing this first song and then we would all be humming it for days afterwards! It is one of the most catchy tunes ever!
4 Pirate Songs for Kids
The Pirate Song
When I was one, I sucked my thumb, the day I went to sea
I climbed aboard a pirate ship and the captain said to me
I’m going this way that way, forwards and backwards, over the Irish Sea
A bottle of rum to fill my tum, now that’s the life for me.
When I was two I buckled my shoe and then I went to sea
I climbed aboard a pirate ship and the captain said to me
I’m going this way, that way, forwards and backwards, over the Irish Sea
A bottle of rum to fill my tum, now that’s the life for me.
These kids are having so much fun in this youtube video, they’re loving all the actions! Notice how the words are easy to adapt once you know how the song goes.
Kids just love all things piratey! The whole theme is so adventurous and colourful! It’s a great theme for parties too and you can always make it a Pirate and Princess’s party, to keep everyone happy!
Here are some links to more traditional pirate songs for kids, and some are old favourites with a nautical theme.
A Sailor Went To Sea Sea Sea
To make this one a pirate song, just switch the lyric from ‘sailor’ to ‘pirate’. This song is great for clapping, which is such a fun and sociable musical activity. It’s very good for rhythm and beat recognition, and excellent for developing co-ordination. In this video the kids are clapping quite a complex pattern, but to make it easier for younger ones just clap on the beat.
What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor?
This one also works well as a pirate song, again by just swapping the word ‘sailor’ to ‘pirate’ and everyone loves joining in with the catchy chorus!
The Big Ship Sails On The Sails On The Alley-Alley-O
The Alley-Alley-O is a reference to the opening of the Manchester shipping canal, which was opened for the big ships to access the Atlantic in 1894. It was always a very popular song for skipping games, but here is another fun way to sing it- see below.
The Big Ship Sails On The Alley-Alley-O
The big ship sails on the alley-alley-o
The alley-alley-o, the alley-alley-o,
The big ship sails on the alley-alley-o
On the last day of September.
The captain says that’ll never never do,
Never never do, never never do.
The captain says that’ll never never do,
On the last day of September.
The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea
The bottom of the sea, the bottom of the sea,
The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea
On the last day of September.
We all dip our heads in the deep blue sea,
The deep, blue sea, the deep, blue sea,
We all dip our heads in the deep, blue sea,
On the last day of September.
How To Do The Actions
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- At least five children are needed to do this, but the more the better.
- These instructions sound a lot more complicated than they actually are when you do them!
- Everyone hold hands in a long line and the one on the end puts his free hand up high against the wall to form an arch.
- The person at the other end leads the line under the arch, as everybody sings.
- As the last one goes through the arch, he twists the first person round so that they are now facing the other way with their arms crossed across their front.
- The line of children come back round and through the next arch which is now made between the first player and their neighbour.
- Repeat the first verse until all children have crossed arms and been the next arch.
Repeat Until Everyone Has Had A Go
- The children now form a ring, holding hands with arms still crossed.
- Verse 2 – everybody shakes their head gravely.
- Verse 3 – the ring sinks down and rises up again keeping arms crossed.
- Verse 4 – everybody bends their heads as low as possible.
Film music is a great resource when you want to set the scene for specific themes. Take a look at my post on music for Pirates And Adventurers for some inspiration. Dressing up and role play is wonderful for little imaginations and such a fun and easy way to spend an afternoon!
Did you write “The Pirate Song”? Or do you know who wrote it? Thank you.
Hi Jens, All 4 of the Pirate Songs in this post are in the public domain. My kids used to sing them at Brownies! Feel free to use them as you wish ????
I only saw 3 songs for pirates but they were all great! The Pirate Song, A Sailor went to Sea, and the Alley Alley oh! Thanks for this post.
Hi Karen! Thanks for pointing that out! One got forgotten for some reason! But I’ve updated the post now 🙂
Would love to see a video of the last part with the kids in a line.
Hi Shannon, I just found a youtube video of the ‘The Big Ship Sails On the Ally O’ and I’ve added it to the post. I hope this helps to make the actions more clear!
This is terrific! A great way to teach music, counting, rhythm and fun. Thanks so much for sharing. Stopping by from Sat. Evening Family Fun Party. Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow