Somalian Piracy

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I took a really cheesy poem I found online about pirates, and used our class cowboy example to replace some of the words with terminology associated with Somalian piracy.

Make sure to visit the original poem’s website for the full experience (turn up your volume).

New Poem:

Like a ghost on the wind
He comes from the sea,
And trembles the foe
Like a storm on the lee.
With swashbuckling currency-counting machines
And a Jolly Roger laugh,
He sails the Maritime Security Patrol Area
On his exploited marine stock’s behalf
He has a black-patched Kalashnikov
And a diamond ring in his ear,
And on his wind-burned face,
A crusty-grizzled beard.
With a bone-cold glare
And a sneer on his lip,
He has a semi-automatic pistol by his side
And a hand grenade in his grip.
With a thunderous blast
From his AK47′s might,
He shivers the hostages
And cripples their fight.
He takes what he’s hijaked
And turns it to millions of dollars,
For He’s crafty and shrewd
And He’s fearless and a brawler,
He’s dashing and daring,
A fierce burcad badeed*,
For the sight of his plunder
Pales many with fear.
From Norther Somalia
Victories are told
Of the Spirit of the Pirate
And the Gulf of Aden’s toll

*burcad badeed means “ocean robber” and is the typical Somali term for “pirate”

Old Poem:

Like a ghost on the wind
He comes from the sea,
And trembles the foe
Like a storm on the lee.

With swashbuckling swagger
And a Jolly Roger laugh,
He flies the black flag
On a whalebone staff.

He has a black-patched eye
And a ring in his ear,
And on his wind-burned face,
A crusty-grizzled beard.

With a bone-cold glare
And a sneer on his lip,
He has a cannon by his side
And a cutlass in his grip.

With a thunderous blast
From his cannon’s might,
He shivers the strong
And cripples their fight.

He takes what he’s lost
And turns it to gold,
For He’s crafty and shrewd
And He’s fearless and bold.

He’s dashing and daring,
A fierce buccaneer,
For the sight of his plunder
Pales many with fear.

From East Carolina
Victories are told
Of the Spirit of the Pirate
And his purple and gold!

Alfred H. Lockamy 2005