"Don't Pay the Ferryman" is a song by British-Irish artist Chris de Burgh. It was released in September 1982 as the lead single from his album The Getaway. AllMusic critic Sharon Mawer stated the song has become "a standard art rock classic" and one of de Burgh's most frequently played songs on radio, despite not reaching the Top 40 on its original UK release.

Background

The song tells the story of a man who boards a ferryboat and sets off. A storm approaches and the ferryman demands payment. The song's narrator warns the passenger not to pay the ferryman until the boat arrives at its destination on the other side. The repetitive lyrics are believed to have a connection with mythology. The song describes the ferryman as "the hooded old man at the rudder". The ferryman demanding his payment is also similar to the Greek ferryman of the dead, Charon. He demanded an obolus (coin) to ferry dead souls across the River Styx. Those who did not pay were doomed to remain as ghosts, remaining on the plane of the mare, the restless dead. In the bridge of the song, lines from Shakespeare's The Tempest can be heard, spoken very low by British actor Anthony Head.<BR> [Act 5, Scene 1, lines 230 - 237]<BR> This section of the song is omitted from the version of the song released as a single, which is approximately 20 seconds shorter than the album version.

Music video

The music video for "Don't Pay the Ferryman" was directed by Maurice Phillips.

Chart positions

It became de Burgh's first UK hit single almost eight years into his recording career when it entered the chart on 23 October 1982 and peaked at number 48, staying on the chart for five weeks. In 1983, the single reached number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. It was a major hit on the Australian Kent Music Report chart, where it reached the Top five and spent 25 weeks in the Top 100.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts