She's a wish for kinder gay.

I hate a-hye

She's still the swall

She took our tongues and left us pale

Now we sing when the wind calls

Oh the waves don't heed a silent plea

The wind won't spare a muted crew.

So when she wails, we sing the sea or drown beneath the black.

Welcome back, listeners, to 1001 stories for the road.

And what a story we have for you.

300 years ago, the ocean wasn't a vacation destination like it is today.

It was a black abyss.

If you sailed beyond the horizon, you weren't just leaving home.

You were leaving the protection of the law, the reach of kings, and the very concept of mercy.

But for a few desperate souls, that abyss represented something better than the starving streets of London, or the lash of the Royal Navy.

It represented freedom.

Violent, fleeting, but intoxicating,

freedom. Today we begin a journey into the definitive chronicle of that era. A general history of the robberies and murders of the most notorious pirates. First published in 1724, this isn't just a book.

It's the reason you know what a pirate looks like.

But before we get to the eye patches and the Jolly Roger,

we have to talk about the man behind the curtain.

The book was originally credited to a Captain Charles Johnson. Well, here's the catch. Captain

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