Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)

"Drink up me hearties, yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! You know this song, parrot? Feel free to join in anytime. Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads. Drink up me hearties, yo ho!"

- Jack Sparrow in the Magic Kingdom's Pirates of the Caribbean "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" is the theme song featured in the popular Disneyland and Walt Disney World attraction Pirates of the Caribbean. The song was also featured in the film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl which was inspired by the ride itself. The song was also featured in the animated series, including Disney's House of Mouse with different lyrics and called Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Parrot's Life for Me! It also appears on Disney's Greatest Hits Volume 3‎ and A Musical History of Disneyland.

Lyrics
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

We extort and pilfer, we filch and sack.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Maraud and embezzle and even highjack.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

We kindle and char and enflame and ignite.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

We burn up the city, we're really a fright.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

We're rascals and scoundrels, we're villains and knaves.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

We're devils and black sheep, we're really bad eggs.

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Yo ho, you ho, a pirate's life for me.

We're beggars and blighters and ne'er do-well cads,

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

Aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads,

Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.

The Curse of the Black Pearl
The song is sung at the beginning of the film by young Elizabeth Swann. Later in the film, when Elizabeth and Jack Sparrow were marooned on an island, they sang the song near a bonfire. He remarked that he would later teach it to his crew who would sing it "all the time", a reference to the never-ending actions of the Audio Animatronics of the attraction. As the final lines of the film, Jack Sparrow hums a part of the song while taking the ship's wheel.

Dead Man's Chest
While the song does not appear in the film, young Elizabeth Swann can be heard singing it in several trailers.

At World's End
The song doesn't appear until the very end of the film, in which Jack Sparrow mutters the song to himself. In the At World's End post-credits scene, the son of Elizabeth Swann sings part of the song before the green flash signaled Will Turner's return.

The version of the song by young Elizabeth Swann can be heard in several trailers. In the film's soundtrack, the musical track "Drink Up Me Hearties" takes its title from the song.

On Stranger Tides
Like Dead Man's Chest, the song doesn't appear at all in the film. The closest is when Jack Sparrow tells Joshamee Gibbs "it's a pirate's life for me" as part of the film's final line. This is also used in several TV spots for DVD releases.

Expanded universe
The song also appears in Chapter One of Jack Sparrow: The Coming Storm, sung by the Faithful Bride patrons. In Disney Adventures comic Revenge of the Pirates!, the first three lines of final stanza was sung by the Black Pearl crew.

Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color
"Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" can be hear in "Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color" episode, which talked about the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. The musical score can be heard in the first part of the ride, and the song would be sung in the rest of the ride until the end of the episode.

Disney's House of Mouse
In Disney's House of Mouse, the song is sung with different lyrics and called Yo Ho, Yo Ho, A Parrot's Life for Me!. It was performed by Iago (voiced by Gilbert Gottfried) and two other parrots.

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game
When you beat all the main story missions, collect all the Minikits, get True Pirate on all levels, and find all the secret compass locations, a bonus level is unlocked. The level is a recreation of the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride, playing the theme music and the song is sung in the background.

Pirates of the Caribbean
"Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" is the theme song featured in the original Disneyland attraction Pirates of the Caribbean. A rousing rendition is played throughout the grotto scene (partially on a harpsichord), and is later sung by pirates near the end of the ride. Since the 2006 refurbishments, Captain Jack Sparrow is seen singing the song at the end of the ride.

World of Color
The Disney's World of Color show briefly plays the song prior to the main Pirates of the Caribbean segment.

The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow
At the end of the attraction, the talking skull tells guests to sing "A Pirate's Life for Me". The audio from the original Disney ride plays briefly as Jack Sparrow conducts the song before drinking a bottle of rum.

Versions

 * 1967 - Song composed for the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction by Bruns and Atencio. (Lyrics as composed by Atencio and Bruns)
 * 1982 - Orange County punk band The Vandals use the song's melody briefly in their song "Pirate's Life", which is about riding the attraction under the influence of LSD
 * 1986 - Singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett uses the melody as the opening to his single "Take it Back" which was written for the US America's Cup yachting team.
 * 1994 - An instrumental version appears on guitarist Buckethead's album Giant Robot.
 * 1995 - A version with alternate lyrics was featured in the Beach Party At Walt Disney World video of the Mickey's Fun Songs series.
 * 2002 - The song is featured briefly in the Disney film Treasure Planet. The robot B.E.N. (Martin Short) sings a few bars while aboard the R.L.S. Legacy.
 * 2003 - The song is featured in the Disney film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. A few bars are sung by young Elizabeth Swann (Lucinda Dryzek). An older Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) later teaches it to Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) while they are marooned on an island. It is sung once again at the end of the film by Captain Jack Sparrow.
 * 2006 - A version is sung by the Jonas Brothers in DisneyMania 4; the refrain "Drink up me hearties" is replaced with "Stand up me hearties".
 * 2007 - A few bars of the song are sung again near the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. A few bars are also sung after the credits by the son of Elizabeth. The instrumentals and dialogue from the attraction are heard as well in the fade to black after the descent off World's End.
 * [Present] - NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a pirate ship in the north endzone of Raymond James Stadium. During football games they will play the song over the loudspeakers and jumbotron, (courtesy of Disney), at which time patrons on the ship throw beads and other prizes into the crowd.
 * 2010 - Disney's World of Color show briefly plays the song prior to the main Pirates of the Caribbean segment.
 * 2011 - Brian Wilson covered it in a medley on his album In the Key of Disney, which was released on October 25, 2011.