"...There's a ship, The Black Freighter...."

The complete track listing for the Watchmen soundtrack has been revealed. It looks like this:

1. Desolation Row (My Chemical Romance)

2. Unforgettable (Nat King Cole)

3. The Times They Are A-Changin' (Bob Dylan)

4. The Sound Of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel)

5. Me & Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin)

6. I'm Your Boogie Man (KC & The Sunshine Band)

7. You're My Thrill (Billie Holiday)

8. Pruit Igoe & Prophecies (Philip Glass)

9. Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

10. All Along The Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix)

11. Ride of the Valkyries (Budapest Symphony Orchestra)

12. Pirate Jenny (Nina Simone)

Now, sidestepping that unfortunate My Chemical Romance Dylan-cover (see previous post), there's actually some really good stuff on it. It's particularly nice to see Brecht and Weill's "Pirate Jenny" on the soundtrack. Of course "Pirate Jenny", with it's harrowing tale of a "Black Freighter", inspired the "Tales of the Black Freighter" comic book being read by a character in the Watchmen graphic novel. And song's storyline, about killing all inhabitants of a town, also thematically mirrors the climax of the story in "Watchmen".

But interesting enough the original German lyric by Brecht doesn't actually refer to a "Black Freighter" - it refers to "ein Schiff mit acht Segeln" - a ship with eight sails. The term The Black Freighter was invented for the - rather excellent - English translation of the song used by Nina Simone. In her version the word 'black' was probably deliberately meant to connect the song with American civil rights issues of the time, symbolizing the coming black revolution.

Here's Kurt Weill's wife Lotte Lenya singing the song in German with literal English subtitles:

Couldn't find the Nina Simone version from the soundtrack on Youtube, but never mind. Here's a great version - Anne Kerry Ford is singing the same translation as Simone - with its Black Freighter bit:

"You people can watch while Im scrubbing these floors
And Im scrubbin the floors while youre gawking
Maybe once ya tip me and it makes ya feel swell
In this crummy southern town

In this crummy old hotel
But youll never guess to who youre talkin.
No. you couldnt ever guess to who youre talkin.

Then one night theres a scream in the night
And youll wonder who could that have been
And you see me kinda grinnin while Im scrubbin
And you say, whats she got to grin?
Ill tell you.

Theres a ship
The black freighter
With a skull on its masthead
Will be coming in

You gentlemen can say, hey gal, finish them floors!
Get upstairs! whats wrong with you! earn your keep here!
You toss me your tips
And look out to the ships
But Im counting your heads
As Im making the beds
Cuz theres nobody gonna sleep here, honey
Nobody
Nobody!

Then one night theres a scream in the night
And you say, whos that kicking up a row?
And ya see me kinda starin out the winda
And you say, whats she got to stare at now?
Ill tell ya.

Theres a ship
The black freighter
Turns around in the harbor
Shootin guns from her bow

Now
You gentlemen can wipe off that smile off your face
Cause every building in town is a flat one
This whole frickin place will be down to the ground
Only this cheap hotel standing up safe and sound
And you yell, why do they spare that one?
Yes.
Thats what you say.
Why do they spare that one?

All the night through, through the noise and to-do
You wonder who is that person that lives up there?
And you see me stepping out in the morning
Looking nice with a ribbon in my hair

And the ship
The black freighter
Runs a flag up its masthead
And a cheer rings the air

By noontime the dock
Is a-swarmin with men
Comin out from the ghostly freighter
They move in the shadows
Where no one can see
And theyre chainin up people
And theyre bringin em to me
Askin me,
Kill them now, or later?
Askin me!
Kill them now, or later?

Noon by the clock
And so still by the dock
You can hear a foghorn miles away
And in that quiet of death
Ill say, right now.
Right now!

Then theyll pile up the bodies
And Ill say,
Thatll learn ya!

And the ship
The black freighter
Disappears out to sea
And
On
It
Is
Me"

(This blog-post was part two in an infrequent series about 'ship songs'. Part one here.)

update: as a footnote, here's a link to a post on another blog discussing the English translation. He concludes that it's not a very good translation. I disagree, but interesting analysis nonetheless.