Disclaimer: I don't own POTC, but Barbossa is one of the coolest villains I've seen on-screen for a very very long time.
A/N: At the time I wrote this, I wasn't sure whether Barbossa was returning for the sequals or not. I'm glad he did, because he is such an awesome character. And, if you think about it, the song isn't too far off accurate considering how Barbossa managed to return :P
Upon an island far away
Upon the Caribbee'
I heard the tale
Of the ship with black sails
And I'll share it now with ye
No doubt ye've heard of the captain
A sparrow by name and by creed
Of the man who fought many battles
And never succumbed to his greed
But have ye heard of the first mate
A man the devil feared
Whom even hell had to spit out
When the time of his death drew near
Well I'll tell you the tale of that pirate
I'll tell you the tale of that man
I'll tell you a story no-one cares to hear
And ye should listen as best as ye can...
Before he became Sparrow's first mate
Before the curse of the gold
Barbossa was just simply Hector
A man seeking to never be old
When he heard of the Isla De Muerta
And the promise of endless life
He signed up for the voyage, no questions asked
Uncaring of any strife
For dying someday, the pirate said, dying someday is fate
But I plan to keep much alive
To live another day
But it wasn't enough to be immortal
For a man will always aspire
So during the nights with the crewmates
Hector began to conspire
And the crew, like all scoundrels, listened
And they danced to the first mate's song
And the mutinous first mate waited
For he knew it wouldn't be long
What could I ask, the pirate said, What could I ask, you say
A man must be in charge of his fate
If he's to live another day
On the third night out of the voyage
The bearings of treasure were shared
For in that trusting moment, the sparrow
In a net of deception was snared
As gratitude for his confidence
Hector marooned him and left him to die
And Hector became Captain Barbossa
And none dare contend that cry
Come with me, the pirate said, come with me, I say
I'll take you to riches, andmost importantly
We'll live another day!
Bootstrap alone was rebelling
For his strong belief in the Code
But like all good sailors, he followed
But swore Hector would pay what he owed
When the pirates reached the cursed island
They found the stone chest of coin
And without any hesitation
Began to pilfer and purloin
Bootstrap took one and glowered
'You'll rue this day, you will!'
But Barbossa just laughed as he threw all
His pearls to the pigs in the swill
Rue the day, the pirate said, Rue the day I will?
When eternity comes for us all, my boy
I'll live another day.
Then Bootstrap spake of unfairness
Of leaving their true captain to death
And the sailor swore they would all live
And ne'er take their dying breath
Well the pirates may laugh at Bill Bootstrap
But Barbossa was getting displeased
This sailor was far to liberal
Voicing his thoughts and his grieves
For his insolence, Barbossa had Bootstrap
Tied by his boots to a cannon
And before the was time for the splash to clear
Bootstrap was much too far gone
Never die, the sailor had said, Never die will you
You'll wish for the kiss of a pistol, you will
To live for no more a day!
But Barbossa was now a captain
With a loyal and capable crew
And above all things, was immortal
There was nothing that he could not now do
And then in the moonlight, he realised
He had immortality
He would live forever, just as he'd planned
But at the cost of his humanity
He cursed the gold, he cursed his luck
But his curses went unheard
For there were no forces in heaven or hell
That could take back Bootstrap's words
You'll rue the day, the man had said
And Barbossa was forced to agree
So now with cursed crew and captain
The Black Pearl sailed the Caribbee'
Ye've all heard this part of the story
The part where Bootstrap's son
Together, with Captain Jack Sparrow
Ends what ten years ago, had begun
The dashing young hero Will Turner
Ended the Aztec God's curse
And the first captain of the Black Pearl
Made Barbossa's immortal life worse
I'm so cold, the pirate said, I'm so cold, and I'm dying
But it's over, and now I now longer have to
Live another day
But Bootstrap's words ran silver
And like all silver, rang true
For while his life may be over
Hector had much more to do
For he'd shaken his fist at the heathens
And laughed at their puny gods' threat
Now someone was waiting to meet him
And Barbossa his laughter began to regret
The devil cupped him in his hand
As Barbossa fought for breath
And made a deal harsher than steel
To keep him far from death
Far from death, the pirate says, far from death you say
For that I'd sell my soul, I would
To live another day
Then the devil grinned and spake a word
That mortals should ne'er hear
An' Barbossa stood once more, alive
A man men would come to fear
But again, like before, he had nothing
He'd lost his soul to his greed
But this time, there was no way of returning
No blood, no offered creed.
Far from death, the pirate said, far from death you say
For a soul is a horrible thing to lose
When ye live another day
A/N edit: If you consider the fact that the details get a little skewed in the telling of the tale, the singer could be very well describing a certain Tia Dalma who brought back Hector... maybe?