Ghost Pirates in DC

Ghost Pirates in DC

(c) 8/93 by Gary.J. Ehrlich
(ttto: "Ghost Riders In The Sky" by Stan Jones)

The following is the canonical collection of all the verses I've written

Original Version--Winner of Pirates Of Fenzance Filksong Contest

Their ship rose up from Foggy Bottom one hot summer day
Borne skyward by humidity into the August haze
As lines of fleeing limos towards the city bridges rolled
A crew of spectral pirates had attacked the capital

CHORUS:  Federal-O! Federal-Ly! Ghost Pirates in DC!

They headed for the Capitol to gather up some bills
Their skull and crossbones fluttered as they marched on up the hill
They burst into the chambers seeking Congressmen to rape
But got caught up in committes; barely making an escape

Down Pennsylvania Avenue the pirate crew then went
They headed for the White House to kidnap the President
Their swords were at the ready, razor sharp and tough as rocks
But half the crew was shredded when they tried to kidnap Socks

The Pentagon sent tanks and planes to blast the phantom crew
They even called the Ghostbusters to see what they could do
A group of fundamentalists saved the pirates from the knife
They claimed that even spirits have a basic right to life

They broke into the Treasury and robbed the national bank
And when they stole the Hope Diamond things started looking blank
'Til they tried to flee the city and they took a tragic fall
They met up with the IRS; The worst pirates of all!

The pirates fled up '95 to find a safer port
They found themselves a safehouse deep in downtown Baltimore
Where they met up with some SF fans, as new crew took them on
To help them form another plan--a bigger better con!

FINAL CHORUS:  Baltimore-O!  Baltimore-Hey!  WORLDCON IN 98!


Next three verses were added 12/93 following original 4th verse.
The third of these verses will become the concluding verse following 
BucConneer.  (It would have gone into use in '95 if Baltimore lost 
the bid)
They went to Planet Hollywood to rustle up a feast
Like foreign dignitaries they were left to eat in peace
But when they finished dining they found out to their dismay
Their ship had not been legally parked; and so was towed away

They headed for the stadium to catch a Redskins game
The visitors saw them come in and headed home again
The pirates took the field, then occured a grisly scene
For the Redskins beat the Pirates, 27-17.

At last the phantom pirate crew began to fade away
Without their ship and half their crew they could not win the day
Now if you've listened to my tale its message you will see
Not even supernatural force can defeat bureaucracy!

This verse replaced the Redskins verse at Contata '94
They went to Giants Stadium to see a World Cup match
They prowled around the grandstand seeking articles to snatch
They watched the players move the ball with foot and knee and head
But when the fans began to riot, they quickly turned and fled

This verse added 1/95 after Gingrich and the freshmen took office
They headed for the Capitol to gather up some bills
Their skull and crossbones fluttered as they marched on up the hill
But their advance was halted by a force of power brute
And their ranks were trimmed like budgets by the fearsome Knights of Newt!

This verse replaced the Redskins verse in 1/95.  At the time the Bullets
only had 8 wins on the season
They set a course for Landover to hit a Bullets game
The USAir Arena seemed a spot to make some fame
The pirates took the court but the results were quite obscene
The Bullets scored 138.  The Pirates 113

These two verses replaced the bureaucracy verse and the original Baltimore
in '98 verse in 11/95 following BucConner's successful Worldcon bid and the
government shutdowns.  At this time the Redskins verse was also dropped from
the song
The crew was sent to Lorton but parole soon came their way
The prison needed room to lock some drug dealers away
So they returned to DC, much mayhem they proposed
But the bureaucrats had all gone home--the government was closed!

The pirates fled to Baltimore, with fans shacked up and hid
And then they launched a stunning plot and won a Worldcon bid
But SF fans from coast to coast have nothing more to fear
The pirates have now gone legit; they're running BucConneer!!