Port Royale they got Morgan
And Carolinas they got Teach
And in the channel of Kingston Bay
We got a ship called the Devil’s Reach
She had forty seven cannon
On deck they had 14 guns
And at the wheel was Big Tom Cutter
Who was a noble’s bastard son
The locals all new better
They all knew to stay away
And if you passed and listen close
You could have heard them say
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can’t out run her and you can’t outgun her
And you know you’re gonna pay!
From Brighton sailed a gunship
And with them sailed four more
Said: We’re sailin’ down to Kingston bay
Gonna settle us a score!
The ships they were all loaded
And they were searching for their prize
They’d collect the bounty on the Devil’s Reach
And cut big Tom down to size
The sun it was a setting
When they slunk into the bay
And in the dark felt their skin crawl
As they heard the locals say
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can’t out run her and you can’t outgun her
And you know you’re gonna pay!
Well the five ships they were ready
Just waiting for first light
With a single shot knew they’d been caught
And the Reach began the fight
It was a moonless night in august
And darkness filled that bay
But the cannon fire from those tall ships
Turned that dark night into day
Now the Reach it was surrounded
There was surely no way out
But who was trapped became quite clear
When they heard Tom Cutter shout
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can’t out run her and you can’t outgun her
And you know you’re gonna pay!
After dawn the Reach it broke off
Turned slowly towards the shore
That gun ship slipped beneath the waves
Where it joined the other four
Her sails were ripped and shredded
Her mast just shards of wood
And on that shattered, burning deck
Big Tom Cutter stood
He steered her toward the nearest shore
Not sure if he’d succeed
But there it sits this very day
With a wooden sign that reads
You should have turned back sooner
Cause the Reach it owns this bay
And you can’t out run her and you can’t outgun her
And you know you’re gonna pay
And you can’t out run her and you can’t outgun her
And you know you’re gonna pay!
