George Harrison performed ‘The Pirate Song’ on the BBC television show Rutland Weekend Television in December 1975.
The comedy sketch show was written by Monty Python’s Eric Idle, with music by Neil Innes. There were two series: six in 1976, and a further seven in 1976.
Harrison appeared in the Christmas special, which was broadcast on Boxing Day 1975. He began by strumming the opening chords of ‘My Sweet Lord’, and the house band – collectively known as Fatso – joined in, before Harrison switched abruptly to ‘The Pirate Song’.
‘The Pirate Song’ was written for the pirate sketch on the Rutland Weekend Television Christmas Show, 1975. It was co-written (words and music) by Eric Idle and myself. You can see my writing on the back of the Rutland script, and Eric’s handwriting is also reproduced with his kind permission. All my friends are pirates.
I Me Mine
Rutland Weekend Television was a forerunner of Idle’s Beatles parody The Rutles, whose 1978 mockumentary All You Need Is Cash featured a cameo role from Harrison as a television reporter.
Lyrics
Oh I like to be a pirate
A pirate’s life for me
All my friends are pirates
And they sail the BBC
I’ve got a Jolly Roger
It’s-a black and white and vast
So get out of your skull and crossbones
And I’ll run it up your mast
With a yo-ho-ho
And a ya-ha-ha
And a ye-hee-ha-ha-ho
With a yo-ho-ho
And a ya-ha-ha
And a yo-ho-yum-yum-yum
I’ve got a Jolly Roger
It’s-a black and white and vast
So get out of your skull and crossbones
I’ll run it up your mast
All together, I like to be a pirate
A pirate’s life for me
All my friends are pirates
And they sail the BBC
I’ve got a Jolly Roger
It’s-a black and white and vast
So get out of your skull and crossbones
And I’ll run it up your mast