30 Beautiful Songs About Sailing 2025

As sailing is one of the oldest forms of transport in the world, it will come as no surprise to learn there are simply hundreds of awesome songs about sailing. You’ll find references to it in so many songs, either as a metaphor for something deeper or simply to sum up this magical way of life.

Before we took the plunge and moved aboard our 38ft sailboat full time I would hear sailing songs everywhere, sure it was sign this was what we were meant to be doing.

In reality, I think there are just so many songs about sailing that it’s impossible not to hear one! But either way it got me out there living this incredible lifestyle.

Now that we live on a boat the lyrics to these songs feel even more meaningful and real. There’s something about the magic of the sea and sails that lends itself to music.

We’ve had to try and narrow down our selection as there are far too many to choose from, but hopefully you’ll find what you’re looking for in one of these sailing songs, or maybe even find a new favourite – enjoy!

And if you’re looking for something shorter and snappier we’ve got great yacht captions for Instagram too!

The Most Popular Songs About Sailing
Classic Sailing Songs
Songs About Sailing By Crosby, Stills & Nash
Modern Day Sailing Songs
Less Well Known Sailing Songs

The Most Popular Songs About Sailing

There are some songs about sailing that everyone has heard. These are the absolute classics, and love them or hate them, if you’re looking for sailing songs that everyone has heard of then these are the ones you should pull out!

I have to be honest, we’ve heard these songs so many times that we’re not massive fans anymore. But they definitely deserve the top spots on this list!

We often use quotes from these songs as captions for our social media feeds. There are some great ocean Instagram captions you can take from them if you’re looking for inspiration!

#1 Sailing – Rod Stewart

I am sailing
I am sailing
Home again
‘Cross the sea
I am sailing
Stormy waters
To be near you
To be free

I am flying
I am flying
Like a bird
‘Cross the sky
I am flying
Passing high clouds
To be near you
To be free

Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Through the dark night, far away
I am dying, forever crying
To be with you, who can say

Can you hear me? Can you hear me?
Through the dark night, far away
I am dying, forever crying
To be with you, who can say?

We are sailing, we are sailing
Home again
‘Cross the sea
We are sailing
Stormy waters
To be near you
To be free

Oh, Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh, my Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh, my Lord, to be near you, to be free
Oh, Lord

#2 Sailing Away – Chris de Burgh

Waiting at the water’s edge
Watching all the ships
As they are heading for the harbor wall
I was just a boy, I was just a boy
Dreaming of the wide world
Dreaming of the wide world

Watching as they disappear
Reading out the names
Of all the places I have never been
Looking out to sea, staring out to sea
Dreaming of a wide world
Dreaming of the wide world, uu

I wish I was sailing away, sailing away
Sailing away, with you tonight, with you tonight

Walking down another street
Underneath the red lights
I am watching where the shadows fall
Looking at the girls, listening to the girls
Dreaming of a new world,
Dreaming of that new world, uu

I wish I was sailing away, sailing away
Sailing away, in your arms tonight
In your arms tonight

I wish I was sailing away, sailing away
Sailing away, with you now, with you now

#3 Sailing – Christopher Cross

Well, it’s not far down to paradise
At least it’s not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find tranquility
Oh, the canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see, believe me

It’s not far to never never land
No reason to pretend
And if the wind is right you can find the joy
Of innocence again
Oh, the canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see, believe me

Sailing
Takes me away to where I’ve always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
Soon I will be free

Fantasy
It gets the best of me
When I’m sailing

All caught up in the reverie
Every word is a symphony
Won’t you believe me?

Sailing
Takes me away to where I’ve always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

Well, it’s not far back to sanity
At least it’s not for me
And if the wind is right you can sail away
And find serenity
Oh, the canvas can do miracles
Just you wait and see, really, believe me

Sailing
Takes me away to where I’ve always heard it could be
Just a dream and the wind to carry me
And soon I will be free

#4 Orinoco Flow (Sail Away) – Enya

Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away

From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
From Fiji to Tyree and the Isles of Ebony
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea

Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, ooh, ooh
Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu, oh

Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away

From the North to the South, Ebudæ unto Khartoum
From the deep Sea of Clouds to the Island of the Moon
Carry me on the waves to the lands I’ve never been
Carry me on the waves to the lands I’ve never seen
We can sail, we can sail with the Orinoco Flow
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)

We can steer, we can near
With Rob Dickins at the wheel
We can sigh, say goodbye Ross and his dependency
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)

We can reach, we can beach
On the shores of Tripoli
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Bissau to Palau, in the shade of Avalon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can reach, we can beach
Far beyond the Yellow Sea
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon
We can sail, we can sail
(Sail away, sail away, sail away)
We can sail, we can sail

Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away
Sail away, sail away, sail away

#5 Sail Away – David Gray

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now

Crazy skies all wild above me now
Winter howling at my face
And everything I held so dear
Disappeared without a trace
Oh all the times I’ve tasted love
Never knew quite what I had
Little darling if you hear me now
Never needed you so bad
Spinning ’round inside my head

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now

I’ve been talking drunken gibberish
Falling in and out of bars
Trying to get some explanation here
For the way some people are
How did it ever come so far?

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now
Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
Sail away with me honey now, now, now
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now

Sail away with me honey
I put my heart in your hands
It’d break me up if you pulled me down, whoa
Sail away with me
What will be will be
I want to hold you now, now, now

Classic Sailing Songs

This is a selection of some of those old classics that just keep on giving. You’ve probably heard some of these songs before and perhaps never even thought about the lyrics or what they mean. But have a listen again and get familiar with the sounds of the ocean (or at least, the feeling of being at sea)!

You’ll probably recognise some famous quotes about the ocean in some of these songs.

#6 Captain Kennedy – Neil Young

I am a young mariner headed to war
I’m thinking about my family and what it was for
There’s water on the wood and the sails feel good
And when I get to shore
I hope that I can kill good

My father was a sailor named Captain Kennedy
He lost his wooden schooner to the Germans on the sea
Exploded on the water for everyone to see
And humiliate that American Captain Kennedy

I saw him in Nassau in nineteen-seventy one
His strength was failing but he still ran a run
He worked until his fingers wore to the bone
To buy that wooden schooner and sail on his own

He was known in the islands as hundred foot iron
That steel hull freighter was passing its time
And time flew by faster with life on the sea
And the days grew shorter for Captain Kennedy

I am a young mariner headed to war
I’m thinking about my family and what it was for
There’s water on the wood and the sails feel good
And when I get to shore
I hope that I can kill good

#7 Sail on Sailor – The Beach Boys

I sailed an ocean, unsettled ocean
Through restful waters and deep commotion
Often frightened, unenlightened
Sail on, sail on sailor

I wrest the waters, fight Neptune’s waters
Sail through the sorrows of life’s marauders
Unrepenting, often empty
Sail on, sail on sailor

Caught like a sewer rat alone but I sail
Bought like a crust of bread, but oh do I wail

Seldom stumble, never crumble
Try to tumble, life’s a rumble
Feel the stinging I’ve been given
Never ending, unrelenting
Heartbreak searing, always fearing
Never caring, persevering
Sail on, sail on, sailor

I work the seaways, the gale-swept seaways
Past shipwrecked daughters of wicked waters
Uninspired, drenched and tired
Wail on, wail on, sailor

Always needing, even bleeding
Never feeding all my feelings
Damn the thunder, must I blunder
There’s no wonder all I’m under
Stop the crying and the lying
And the sighing and my dying

Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor
Sail on, sail on sailor

#8 When the Ship Comes In – Bob Dylan

Oh, the time will come up
When the winds will stop
And the breeze will cease to be breathin’
Like the stillness in the wind
Before the hurricane begins
The hour that the ship comes in

And the seas will split
And the ship will hit
And the sands on the shoreline will be shaking
Then the tide will sound
And the wind will pound
And the morning will be breaking

Oh, the fishes will laugh
As they swim out of the path
And the seagulls they’ll be smiling
And the rocks on the sand
Will proudly stand
The hour that the ship comes in

And the words that are used
For to get the ship confused
Will not be understood as they’re spoken
For the chains of the sea
Will have busted in the night
And will be buried at the bottom of the ocean

A song will lift
As the mainsail shifts
And the boat drifts on to the shoreline
And the sun will respect
Every face on the deck
The hour that the ship comes in

Then the sands will roll
Out a carpet of gold
For your weary toes to be a-touchin’
And the ship’s wise men
Will remind you once again
That the whole wide world is watchin’

Oh, the foes will rise
With the sleep still in their eyes
And they’ll jerk from their beds and think they’re dreamin’
But they’ll pinch themselves and squeal
And know that it’s for real
The hour when the ship comes in

Then they’ll raise their hands
Sayin’ we’ll meet all your demands
But we’ll shout from the bow your days are numbered
And like Pharaoh’s tribe
They’ll be drownded in the tide
And like Goliath, they’ll be conquered

#9 Castaway – Zac Brown Band

Pour me another one
Make it a strong one, we’re gonna have some fun tonight

I wanna be a castaway and leave the world behind
Take a tropic holiday, say goodbye to keeping time
Wasting away down by the coast
Pacifico and chasing line
Easy living down in paradise

Pour me another one
Make it a strong one, we’re gonna have some fun tonight
Just like the other one
Make it a double rum, we’re gonna castaway tonight

I’m in an island state of mind
Don’t think I’m ever gonna leave
I’d rather stay and watch the waves
Move the sand beneath my feet
Reggae on the radio, laying low and feeling high
Easy living down in paradise

Pour me another one
Make it a strong one, we’re gonna have some fun tonight
Just like the other one
Make it a double rum, we’re gonna castaway tonight
Castaway

Ride the waves like we’re young
As time flies by and soon we’ll be older
It’s better to live in the moment
Than stuck in the past fast asleep as the world passes by

The reality is history
Come and castaway with me
The good times are free and nobody can take that away
Come and castaway with me

Pour me another one
Make it a strong one, we’re gonna have some fun tonight
Just like the other one
Make it a double rum, we’re gonna castaway tonight

Pour me another one
Make it a strong one, we’re gonna have some fun tonight
Just like the other one
Make it a double rum, we’re gonna castaway tonight
Castaway

#10 Sloop John B – The Beach Boys

We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The first mate, he got drunk
And broke in the captain’s trunk
The constable had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don’t you leave me alone? Yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail (Hoist up the John B’s sail)
See how the mainsail sets (See how the mainsail sets)
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home, I wanna go home
Let me go home (Hoist up the John B’s sail)
Hoist up the John B (Hoist up the John B)
I feel so broke up
I wanna go home, let me go home

The poor cook, he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don’t they let me go home?
This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on

#11 A Sailboat in the Moonlight – Billie Holiday

A sailboat in the moonlight and you
Wouldn’t that be heaven
A heaven just for two
A soft breeze on a June night and you
What a perfect setting
For letting dreams come true

A chance to sail away
To Sweetheart Bay
Beneath the stars that shine
A chance to drift
For you to lift
Your tender lips to mine
Some things dear
That I long for are few
Just give me a sailboat
In the moonlight and you

#12 Land Ho – The Doors

Grandma loved a sailor
Who sailed the frozen sea
Grandpa was a whaler
And he took me on his knee

He said, son, I’m going crazy
From livin’ on the land
Got to find my shipmates
And walk on foreign sands

This old man was graceful
With silver in his smile
He smoked a briar pipe and
He walked four country miles

Singing songs of shady sisters
And old time liberty
Songs of love and songs of death
And songs to set men free

Yea!

I’ve got three ships and sixteen men
A course for ports unread
I’ll stand at mast, let north winds blow
‘Till half of us are dead

Land ho!

Well, if I get my hands on a dollar bill
Gonna buy a bottle and drink my fill
If I get my hands on a number five
Gonna skin that little girl alive

If I get my hand on a number two
Come back home and marry you
Marry you
Marry you, alright!

Ey, land ho!
Ey, land ho!

Well, if I get back home and I feel alright
You know, babe, I’m gonna love you tonight
Love you right
Love you right

Ey, land ho!
Ey, land ho!
Ey, land ho!

Songs About Sailing By Crosby, Stills & Nash

a sailboat at sea and a man singing sailing songs on the bow

I decided this deserved its very own section because there are so many sailing songs by Crosby, Stills & Nash that they dominate the article!

There is a good reason for this. Crosby was always an avid sailor and went on his very first boat ride when he was just 11 years old. He owned a schooner called ‘Mayan’ which is where he wrote the iconic ‘Wooden Ships’, alongside Stephen Stills and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane.

In 1969, Crosby and Nash set off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on a 3,000 mile round trip to San Francisco. They spent 7 weeks at sea, which is surely where much of the inspiration for future songs came from.

As liveaboard sailors, I wish there was more known about their trip, but I think the amount of drugs and alcohol limited what’s known about the voyage so it’s hard to find out exactly what they experienced out there! Still, it’s fascinating to know that these famous artists shared our lifestyles.

Here are some of their most famous songs about sailing.

#13 Shadow Captain – Crosby, Stills & Nash

Oh, captain what are we hiding from?
You’ve been hiding from the start
Did some lover steal your heart
Or did the full moon make you mad?

Oh, captain why these speechless seas
That never come to land?
Oh, I need to understand
Could a little light be that bad?

I can see your hands are roughened
By the wheel and the rope
I’d like to look to you for hope
I think it’s hiding there

This boat is blacked out like a city
Awaiting bombers in the night
Oh, you hold your helm so tight
And yet the sky seems so fair

Who guides this ship
Dreaming through the seas
Turning and searching
Whichever way you please?

Speak to me
I need to see your face
Shadowy captain
In a darkened space

If I were to spy a city
Floating just above the sea
Could we stop and look for me
Among those playing on the pier?

Or would you turn away knowing
It was still a ways away
And if I was there today
You could not see me all that clear

Who guides this ship
Dreaming through the seas
Turning and searching
Whichever way you please?

Speak to me
I need to see your face
Shadowy captain
In a darkened space

Shadow captain of a charcoal ship
Shadow captain of a charcoal ship
Trying to give the light the slip

#14 Southern Cross – Crosby, Stills & Nash

Got out of town on a boat goin’ to Southern Islands.
Sailing a reach a’fore a following sea.
She was making for the trades on the outside,
And the downhill run to Papeete Bay

Off the wind on this heading lie the Marquesas.
We got eighty feet of the waterline nicely making wake.
In a noisy bar in Avalon, I tried to call you,
But on a midnight watch I realized why twice you ran away.

Think about how many times I have fallen.
Spirits are using me; larger voices callin’.
What heaven brought you and me cannot be forgotten.
I have been around the world, lookin’ for that woman-girl
Who knows love can endure.
And you know it will.

When you see the Southern Cross for the first time,
You understand now why you came this way.
‘Cause the truth you might be runnin’ from is so small,
But it’s as big as the promise, the promise of a comin’ day.

So I’m sailing for tomorrow. My dreams are a-dying.
And my love is an anchor tied to you, tied with a silver chain.
I have my ship, and all her flags are a-flying.
She is all that I have left, and music is her name.

So we cheated and we lied and we tested.
And we never failed to fail; it was the easiest thing to do.
You will survive being vested.
But somebody fine will come along make me forget about loving you
In the Southern Cross.

#15 Wooden Ships – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

If you smile at me
I will understand
‘Cause that is something
Everybody everywhere does in the same language

I can see by your coat, my friend
You’re from the other side
There’s just one thing I’ve got to know
Can you tell me please, who won

Say, can I have some of your purple berries
Yes, I’ve been eating them for six or seven weeks now
Haven’t got sick once
Prob’ly keep us both alive

Wooden ships on the water, very free, and easy
Easy, you know the way it’s supposed to be
Silver people on the shoreline let us be
Talk’n ’bout very free, and easy

Horror grips us as we watch you die
All we can do is echo your anguished cries
Stare as all human feelings die
We are leaving, you don’t need us

Go take a sister, then, by the hand
Lead her away from this foreign land
Far away, where we might laugh again
We are leaving, you don’t need us

And it’s a fair wind
Blowin’ warm out of the south over my shoulder
Guess I’ll set a course and go

We come on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Drinking all night
Got into a fight
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

So hoist up the John B’s sail
See how the mainsail sets
Call for the captain ashore, let me go home
Let me go home
I wanna go home, yeah, yeah
Well, I feel so broke up
I wanna go home

The poor cook, he caught the fits
And threw away all my grits
And then he took and he ate up all of my corn
Let me go home
Why don’t they let me go home?
This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on

#16 Radio – David Crosby

Just like in the movies a message
Comes through all the static and hiss
Pulling just enough words from the storm filled sky
To know that someone somewhere needs this

The radioman runs to the wheelhouse
Got that message held tight in his fist
An s.o.s off of the wireless
Saying someone somewhere needs this

For you to look out, look down
Reach your hand into the water
For you to look out, look down
And pull someone out of the sea

You are the captain, this is the ship
You will have to decide what gets done
Think about it when you’re on watch tonight
‘Cause someday this message will come

For you to look out, look down
Reach your hand into the water
For you to look out, look down
And pull someone out of the sea

And your hands are slippery
The wind is strong
The boat is rocking
The world is storm
Your hands are slippery
You feel like turning away to run free
Your hands are so slippery
But you can pull someone out of the sea

For you to look out, look down
Reach your hand into the water
For you to look out, look down
And pull someone out of the sea

Modern Day Songs About Sailing

It often feels like the best songs about sailing were written a while ago, but there are plenty of modern day songs with sailing as the main theme. Here’s a selection of some of our favourites.

And if the Moana soundtrack doesn’t have you singing along then I don’t know what will!

#17 How Far I’ll Go – Moana Soundtrack

I’ve been staring at the edge of the water
‘Long as I can remember
Never really knowing why

I wish I could be the perfect daughter
But I come back to the water
No matter how hard I try

Every turn I take
Every trail I track
Every path I make
Every road leads back
To the place I know where I cannot go
Where I long to be

See the line where the sky meets the sea?
It calls me
And no one knows
How far it goes
If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me
One day I’ll know
If I go, there’s just no telling how far I’ll go

I know everybody on this island
Seems so happy on this island
Everything is by design
I know everybody on this island
Has a role on this island
So maybe I can roll with mine

I can lead with pride
I can make us strong
I’ll be satisfied if I play along
But the voice inside sings a different song
What is wrong with me?

See the light as it shines on the sea?
It’s blinding
But no one knows
How deep it goes

And it seems like it’s calling out to me
So come find me
And let me know
What’s beyond that line?
Will I cross that line?

And the line where the sky meets the sea
It calls me
And no one knows
How far it goes
If the wind in my sail on the sea stays behind me
One day I’ll know
How far I’ll go

#18 Sail – Awolnation

This is how I show my love
I made it in my mind because
Blame it on my ADD, baby

This is how an angel dies
Blame it on my own sick pride
Blame it on my ADD, baby

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

Maybe I should cry for help
Maybe I should kill myself (myself, myself…)
Blame it on my ADD, baby

Maybe I’m a different breed
Maybe I’m not listening
So blame it on my ADD, baby

Sail!

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la

Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!
Sail!

Sail with me into the dark (sail!)
Sail with me into the dark (sail!)
Sail with me into the dark (sail!)
Sail with me, sail with me (sail!)

#19 Jack Sparrow – The Lonely Island

Warning – there’s some colourful language in this one so listen before you play it to children! I haven’t included the lyrics for this reason!

#20 I’m On A Boat – The Lonely Island

Warning – there’s some colourful language in this one so listen before you play it to children! I haven’t included the lyrics for this reason!

#21 Only the Ocean – Jack Johnson

After all of this time
After all of these seasons
After your one decision
To go to the water for reason
It’s only the ocean and you

And all of these lines
Will all be erased soon
They go out with the tide
And come back with the waves soon
It’s only the ocean and you

You don’t want
You don’t wait
You don’t love, oh
But you don’t hate
You just roll over me
And you pull me in

When this work gets done
And this coat is dry
When this world’s too much
It will be
Only the ocean and me

When these sails go up
Mountains fade away
Stars come out
I’m finally free
It’s only the ocean and me

You don’t want
You don’t wait
You don’t love, oh
But you don’t hate
You just roll over me
And you pull me in
And you pull me in

You don’t want
You don’t wait
You don’t love, oh
You don’t hate
You just roll right over me
And you pull me in
And you pull me in

You just roll over me
And you pull me in

#22 Drunken Boat — Kendra Smith

Down to the sea in a drunken boat
No one can get to her tearing up the words she wrote
Down impassable rivers
What does she care for a crew
Light as a cork she is dancing
On the waves of the deep sunk dead
Moonlit lantern idiot eyes
Delirious rhythms that catch her at dawn
Black perfumes that drag her and drug her
Under the bottomless spiralling sky
Nighttime breathes in ominous fortune

She thinks of the calm before stroming
And hears Ma’s silent warning
Down to the sea in a drunken boat
No one can get to her tearing up the words she wrote
On a drunken boat she is sailing
Down to the sea she’s singing
Nothing is quite as it seems
And no man on earth can be hid from her dreaming

#23 Wellerman – Nathan Evans

There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of the ship was the Billy O’ Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)