Polly O’Rourke (Shout for More!)

Name: Polly O’Rourke (Shout for More!)
Description: A rowdy, high-energy Irish folk sea shanty celebrating the bold fictional female pirate Polly O'Rourke, featuring thunderous call-and-response group choruses, swashbuckling anti-authoritarian lyrics, and raucous singalong refrains ideal for lively group gatherings.

Song by @germancowboy · Apr 22, 2026

Genre: Folk & Acoustic

4 likes

Pirate Queens: Polly O’Rourke “Polly O’Rourke (Shout for More!)” is a rowdy, high-energy Irish sea shanty, celebrating a legendary red-haired pirate captain who robs the rich, frees the oppressed, and sails with a fiercely loyal all-female crew. Built for a loud, stomping pub atmosphere, the song blends humor, rebellion, and swagger through call-and-response chants, roaring choruses, and cheeky storytelling about Polly’s exploits and romances across Dublin and the Caribbean. With its driving rhythm and communal singalong feel, it paints Polly as both a folk hero and a larger-than-life rogue—equal parts liberator, lover, and terror of tyrants—whose name demands to be shouted over clashing tankards and pounding boots.

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Lyrics: Polly O’Rourke (Shout for More!)

Oh who sails out from Dublin with fire in her hair? POLLY O’ROURKE! — and the devils beware! Who robs all the rich and gives slavers a fright? POLLY O’ROURKE! — she’ll drink you tonight! She burst from the Liffey with boots on the deck, Left kings in a fury and ships in a wreck, With a laugh like a cannon, hands firm on her hips, And more fight in her than ten navy ships! So bang on the table and shout for more! For wild red Polly O’Rourke! With a yo-ho-ho and a bottle to drain, She’ll rob ye blind and laugh at yer pain! Who freed all the captives and broke every chain? POLLY O’ROURKE! — again and again! Who took half the gold and spent twice as fast? POLLY O’ROURKE! — and never sailed past! No lords on her ship and no masters aboard, Just hard-fightin’ women and plenty of sword, Some came from chains and some came from silk, Now drinkin’ and fightin’ like raised on strong milk! So bang on the table and shout for more! For wild red Polly O’Rourke! She’ll kiss who she pleases and steal what she can, And leave ye cryin’ like a lovesick man! Who fears the crown?! NOT WE! Who rules the sea?! POLLY! There’s Sarah back home sayin’ “Come back to shore!” “Just one more voyage!”—we’ve heard that before! There’s Nell in the islands with rum by the score, And Mei Lin beside her with steel for a roar! So bang on the table and shout for more! For wild red Polly O’Rourke! With a wink and a grin and a scandalous plan, She’ll steal yer gold—and yer sweetheart, man! So bang on the table and shout for more! For wild red Polly O’Rourke! May her sails stay full and her enemies poor— Now drink, ye dogs, to O’ROURKE!!

About this song

A rowdy, high-energy Irish folk sea shanty celebrating the bold fictional female pirate Polly O'Rourke, featuring thunderous call-and-response group choruses, swashbuckling anti-authoritarian lyrics, and raucous singalong refrains ideal for lively group gatherings.