Round the Cape

The fifth track on the 2020 album Cures What Ails Ya, this is a  Longest Johns original, written by Robbie Sattin. The song refers to those bold sailors who were mad enough or capable enough to have survived passage around Cape Horn, part of a treacherous archipelago at the southernmost part of Chile.

## Factoids

The waters around Cape Horn are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds, large waves, strong currents and icebergs. On top of the natural hazards, the only facilities in the vicinity able to service or supply a ship, or provide medical care, were in the Falkland Islands. The businesses there were so notorious for price-gouging that damaged ships were sometimes abandoned at Port Stanley.

**Silver in my ear** refers to a tradition amongst sailors (though there is some debate about how factually accurate it is), that sailors who had rounded Cape Horn wore a silver (or sometimes gold) earring in the ear that had been facing the Cape when they passed it.

## Lyrics

>
> Well we're goin' round the cape, golden shores to find
>
> 900 miles of wind and waves smashing up the sides
>
> We're goin' round the cape, there is no other way
>
> For trade, and king, and countrymen, we'll brave the foam and spray
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
> So tell my love that I'll be back someday
>
> It's rock and roll her, rock and roll her, rock and roll away
>
> When I return, I swear I'm gonna stay
>
> So rock and roll her, rock and roll her, rock and roll away
>
>
>
> I left my home and land to sail a clipper ship
>
> Into the parts of my old map that barely have been writ
>
> I must be out of my mind to leave England in my wake
>
> But I'll get that silver in my ear, we're goin' round the cape
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> {Bridge}
>
> It's a long way home but many miles to go
>
> There's a gale that's trying to drag us all below
>
> And I long to dream of any better fate
>
> But what awaits the brave around the cape
>
>
>
> I heard the sailors say, "By God you must be mad
>
> There's waves as tall as houses and the gales'll knock you flat
>
> And when the storm has fled and the fog is thick as mud
>
> It's pray for your deliverance, and pray you rightly should"
>
>
>
> {Chorus x2}
>
>
>
> Rock and roll her
>
> Rock and roll her
>
> Rock and roll away
>
>
>
>

## Recordings

#### Streaming/Purchase

* Amazon Music (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Amazon Music (Commodore 1864 version)
* Apple Music/iTunes (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Apple Music/iTunes (Commodore 1864 version)
* Bandcamp (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Deezer (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Deezer (Commodore 1864 version)
* Pandora (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Pandora (Commodore 1864 version)
* Spotify (Cures What Ails Ya version)
* Spotify (Commodore 1864 version)

#### YouTube Videos

* Cures What Ails Ya version
* Commodore 1864 version
* Performance in honor of UN World Oceans Day 2021

#### Gig Videos

* Shrewsbury Folk Festival (27 Aug 2021)
* The Whelan's - Dublin (3 Dec 2021)
* Old Songs (25 Feb 2022)
* Le Poisson Rouge, NYC (27 Feb 2022)
* Exeter Phoenix (26 April 2022)

#### Full Band Streams

* Album Launch Party! Cures What Ails Ya, Available June 10th (Preorder Now) (10 Jun 2020)
* It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Streams-mas (16 Dec 2020)
* We're Going to Wellermania! (14 Apr 2021)
* Heinz Baked Stream (14 Sep 2022)
* Sega Streamcast (15 Feb 2023)
* Big Announcement Stream (22 Nov 2023)

#### Gaming Streams

* Sing & Sail & Kegs me Skellyboys! - 15/06/2020
* Sea of Thieves Tall Tales Marathon for Charity (Part 2) (24 Jun 2020)
* Sea of Sings. Tonight we hit the high C's... - 10/07/2020
* Hoist Up The Thing! - 14/08/2020
* Super Monday Afternoon Singing Time On The Sea! - 07/09/2020
* It's boat time! Sea of Sings! - 21/09/2020
* Sea of Sings? Sea of chaos! - 25/09/2020
* Sea of Sings! with Spammals! SHANT! - 1/11/2020
* Music and boats and stuff - 13/12/2020
* Sea of Sings with Kharites\_! Let's help her celebrate reaching 7k followers! - 19/03/2021