This page is about the song. For the EP of the same title, click here.
A haunting song about death and survivor's guilt, and the titular track of the Longest Johns' first EP, Bones in the Ocean.
This song is a Longest Johns original, written by Dave Robinson. It features a chorus which changes lyrics in each repetition, adding a layer of complexity and depth to the subject matter.
Lyrics[]
Oh, I bid farewell to the port and the land
And I paddled away from brave England's white sands
To search for my long ago forgotten friends
To search for the place I hear all sailors end
As the souls of the dead fill the space of my mind
I'll search without sleeping 'til peace I can find
I fear not the weather, I fear not the sea
I remember the fallen, do they think of me
When their bones in the ocean forever will be?
Plot a course to the night, to a place I once knew
To a place where my hope died, along with my crew
So I swallow my grief and face life's final test
To find promise of peace and the solace of rest
As the souls of the dead fill the space of my ears
Their laughter like children, their beckoning cheers
My heart longs to join them, sing songs of the sea
I remember the fallen, do they think of me
When their bones in the ocean forever will be?
When at last before my ghostly shipmates I stand
I shed a small tear for my home upon land
Though their eyes speak of deaths filled with struggle and strife
Their smiles below say I don't owe them my life
As the souls of the dead fill the space of my eyes
And my boat listed over and tried to capsize
I'm this far from drowning, this far from the sea
I remember the living, do they think of me
When my bones in the ocean forever will be?
Now that I'm staring down at the darkest abyss
I'm not sure what I want, but I don't think it's this
As my comrades call to stand fast and forge on
I make sail for the dawn 'til the darkness has gone
As the souls of the dead live fore'er in my mind
As I live all the years that they left me behind
I'll stay on the shore but still gaze at the sea
I remember the fallen and they think of me
For our souls in the ocean together will be
I remember the fallen and they think of me
for our souls in the ocean together will be
Recordings[]
Streaming/Purchase[]
Original EP version
- Amazon Music (EP version)
- Apple Music/iTunes (EP version)
- Bandcamp (EP version)
- Deezer (EP version)
- Pandora (EP version)
- Spotify (EP version)
Commodore 1864 version
- Amazon Music (Commodore 1864 version)
- Apple Music/iTunes (Commodore 1864 version)
- Deezer (Commodore 1864 version)
- Pandora (Commodore 1864 version)
- Spotify (Commodore 1864 version)
Made of Ale version
- Amazon Music (Made of Ale version)
- Apple Music/iTunes (Made of Ale version)
- Deezer (Made of Ale version)
- Spotify (Made of Ale version)
10 Year Anniversary Edition - 2023 arrangement
10 Year Anniversary Edition - Remixed
YouTube Videos[]
- Original EP version
- Commodore 1864 version
- Made of Ale Sessions Video
- 10 Year Anniversary Edition - 2023 arrangement
- 10 Year Anniversary Edition - Remixed
Gig Videos[]
- International Sea Shanty Festival, Falmouth 2014
- Kings Square Gloucester Shanty Festival (27 May 2017)
- Shrewsbury Folk Festival (28 Aug 2021)
- The Whelan's - Dublin (3 Dec 2021)
- Live at Old Songs (25 Feb 2022)
- The Longest Johns Live NYC 2022 @ Le Poisson Rouge (2 Mar 2022)
- Exeter Phoenix (26 April 2022)
- The Rebel Lounge, Phoenix, USA (18 Nov 2022)
- The Studio at the Factory - Dallas, TX (23 Nov 2022)
- Jimmy's Liverpool (9 Dec 2022)
- Kraków, Poland (26 Feb 2023)
- Cursus Festival 2023 - Dave's last gig with the band
- Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival (17 Jun 2023)
Full Band Streams[]
- The Longest Johns and Friends, El Pony Pisador! (12 Aug 2018)
- The Longest Johns Impromptu Singing Stream! (17 Nov 2018)
- Surviving the first month of 2019 with The Longest Johns!!! (New donation system) (30 Jan 2019)
- Singing Live Stream and Special Announcement... (7 Aug 2019)
- TLJ & Friends! | Natalie Holmes (27 Nov 2019)
- Welcome to a New Decade with The Longest Johns (22 Jan 2020)
- Isolation Stream 'n' Skypeathon! (1 Apr 2020)
- Longest Johns LIvestream | Lockdown Lullabies and Rousing Renditions (15 Apr 2020)
- Welcome to the Live Stream, We've got Fun and Sings! (22 Jul 2020)
- Carry On My Wayward Stream (16 Sep 2020)
- (New Merch) I'm Goin' Off the Rails on a Crazy Stream (14 Oct 2020)
- I Stream, You Stream, We all Scream for Live Stream (20 Jan 2021)
- Stream If You Wanna Go Faster (12 May 2021)
- Nice Stream Sundae (Wednesday) (1 Sep 2021)
- THE SING ALONG! JINGLE JAM 2021 - DAY 6! w/ The Longest Johns (9 Dec 2021)
- Cadbury Stream Egg (13 Apr 2022)
- Stream me up Scotty! (23 Aug 2022)
- Jingle Jam 2022 (10 Dec 2022)
- Davestream Beleaver (30 May 2023)
- Stream Lantern (27 Sep 2023)
- Jingle Jam 2023 | Day 4 (4 Dec 2023) - Led by Dr. Simon Clark
- JINGLE JAM DAY 8! The Longest Johns Live Jingle Jam Concert (8 Dec 2023)
- It Was Christmas Stream Babe (20 Dec 2023)
Chill Streams[]
- Chillbury Town: Population You! With Andy & JD - 30/03/2020
- Welcome to the Chilldome! Playing mostly folk music... - 20/04/2020
- More chilled than a sack of penguins with Andy & JD - 27/04/2020
- Roll on down to Chillbury Town with Andy & JD - 04/05/2020
Gaming Streams[]
- Party Boat with Krotukk! - 01/02/2020 Full Stream VOD
- Sea of Thieves Tall Tales Marathon for Charity : Full VOD Part 1 (29 Jun 2020)
- Sea of Sings! Let's get boaty! - 20/07/2020
- I like big boats and I cannot lie - 17/08/2020
- Sea of Sings, Arena edition! w/ KHARITES_ & xSHUMBAx - 24/08/2020
- It's boat time! Sea of Sings! - 21/09/2020
- Sea of Sings! 3 2 1 SHANT! - 26/10/2020
- Musical larceny on the big blue wet thing - 7/12/2020
- Let's get splashy - 14/12/2020
- Sea of Sings LIVE | The Longest Johns Sea of Thieves Stream (31 Mar 2021)
- Sea of Sings! With Dave, JD and @Krotukk - 05/03/2021
- Give it away, give it away, give it away now! | Sea of Sings - 15/03/2021
- Sea of Sings with Kharites_! Let's help her celebrate reaching 7k followers! - 19/03/2021
- We give you drops, we give pirates treasure, we give you GIVEAWAYS! - 22/03/2021
- Singing and Sailing in Sea of Thieves! With @RobRaven - 29/03/2021
- Shanties?!?! On the sea?!?! Why yes it is... With Krotukk and Kharites_ - 02/04/2021
- It's Monday, Monday, Singing and Sailing on Monday! - 26/04/2021
- It's time to get in the sea and do a music! - 30/04/2021
- How many pirates does it take to change THE MUSIC INDUSTRY AS WE KNOW IT?!? - 07/05/2021
- Let's get in the sea and do a music! - 14/05/2021
- Stop blowing holes in my ship! with THE Cpt Jack Sparrow & THE Kharites_! - 25/06/2021
- Sea of Sings LIVE | The Longest Johns Sea of Thieves Stream (11 Aug 2021
- The seas are alive, with the sound of cannons! with Kharites_ and Krotukk - 30/07/2021
- Friday funtime happy murder party! with Kharites & Krotukk - 13/08/2021
- **Insert Stream Title Here** - Sea of Sings with SneakyBeagle - 30/08/2021
- Ah For Just One Time, I would Sing and Sail in Sea of Thieves! - 23/08/2021
- Splashy splashy! Sea of Sings with Freyline - 11/10/2021
- Sea of Sings for War Child - 30/05/2022