Hoist the colors (term)

Will Turner, Pirate King Elizabeth Swann, and Captain Hector Barbossa as the fleet of pirate ships hoist the colors.

"By the sweat of our brows, and the strength of our backs...and the courage of our hearts. Gentlemen...hoist the colors."
"Hoist the colors."
"Hoist the colors."
"Hoist the colors!"
"Aye. The wind's on our side, boys. That's all we need!"

―Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, Ragetti, Pintel and Joshamee Gibbs

The phrase hoist the colors, alternatively hoist the colours, raise the colors, or raise the flag, was an order for the ship's flag to be hoisted. Ships usually hoisted their colors only when they expected to come alongside for a visit, to exchange news, or perhaps supplies. Pirates would hoist their colors when they're in pursuit.

History

"Mr. Greene! Hoist our colors!"

―Nathaniel Bainbridge to Robert Greene

During the Age of Piracy, the Boatswain was responsible for maintaining and hoisting the ship's colours; however, each member of the crew shall at every opportunity take advantage to acquire more flags for the ship. All flags retained from enemy vessels or other countries shall be turned over to the Boatswain for storage. If "Hoist the Colours!" be called, the ship's flag shall be raised. The Captain may also call "Hoist False Colours!" whereupon the flag of a particular nation was raised in order to give any nearby vessel of that specific nation the impression that the ship was from the same country. This encourages a friendly trust and an opportunity for the ship to get closer before true colors were revealed. Or the Captain may wish to send a more intimidating message to an enemy ship by flying the red flag, the "Jolie Rogue," the colour of which symbolized the blood of previous conquests. Circumstances would often dictate the best "ruse de guerre." While flying a friendly flag was a useful plot, other strategies to entice potential quarry would be to dress as alluring females or act as reckless drunkards, although the latter may not be a calculated ruse if the crew was bored or uncontrollable. Methods to induce fear include throwing stinkpots, bilge water, or hardtack biscuits. If the attack was successful, encourage the surviving crew of the captured ship to join your ranks. If they say no to this opportunity, send them to the bottom of the sea.

Many ships did not fly their flags most of the time on the open sea. Flags were expensive, and wore out quickly when exposed to the elements. Therefore, the flags were raised only when another ship was encountered, to confirm the ship's nationality. Ships usually hoisted their colors only when they expected to come alongside for a visit, to exchange news, or perhaps supplies. Pirates would hoist their colors when they're in pursuit.

The order "hoist the colors" was also occasionally used as a call to arms among the pirates. Subsequent to the second meeting of the Brethren Court, it was the basis of the titular song, used as the method of summoning the Court. The fourth meeting of the Court was called by Captain Hector Barbossa, Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea, with the song being sung by a Cabin Boy and a group of pirates in line at the gallows during the war against Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company. In Singapore, Elizabeth Swann sang the song until she was interrupted by Tai Huang, who finished the line, then warned Elizabeth that "Hoist the Colours" was a dangerous song to be singing. Aboard the Black Pearl, the recently-elected Pirate King Elizabeth ordered the crew of the Black Pearl to "hoist the colors" and shouted the order across to Tai Huang on the deck of the Empress before the call spread from ship to ship, along the line, to every pirate in the Brethren's ragtag fleet, ready to fight to the death in the final stand against Beckett's Armada.

Behind the scenes

"Oh she be a lively lassie she were. Oh I tell you true. It's sore I be to hoist me colours on the likes of that shy little wench!"

―Pooped Pirate

The term "hoist the colours" first appeared in Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean.

In the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as the Black Pearl chases the Interceptor, Captain Barbossa orders his crew - "Haul on the main brace! Make ready the guns! And run out the sweeps." In Elizabeth Rudnick's junior novelization, Barbossa yells "Raise the flag and run out the guns! Haul on the mainsails and let go!"

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's first screenplay draft of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Elizabeth Swann tells the crew members of the Black Pearl to "Raise the flags! Pass the word! Hoist the Jolly Roger!" The line was retained in the final version of the film, with Elizabeth's speech aboard the Black Pearl and the call to arms "hoist the colors" spread from ship to ship their ragtag fleet of the Brethren Court. In the first edition of the junior novelization, Elizabeth drew her sword and pointed it toward the Endeavour, leading the way forward into battle, and whatever the future held, with the last line, "Hoist the colors! Today, we are...the Pirates of the Caribbean!"

A trophy in the 2011 non-canonical LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game named "Hoist the colours!" is earned after sailing all the minikit ships in the hub. After collecting all the minikits for a level, you're able to free the ship from its bottle in the dock area of the hub, hop on board to sail through the harbor.

In the 2013 non-canonical video game Disney Infinity, the phrase was used by the Toy Box Narrator, "Hoist the colors! Snap to and set sail! Ye can do much more than that when ye get yer own ship from the Toy Store! What's our heading, Captain?"

Appearances

• Walt Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean (First appearance)
• The Price of Freedom
• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2006 junior novelization)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (junior novelization)
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: The Journey to World's End Storybook with Compass
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: The Movie Storybook
  • Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Storybook and CD
• LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
• Disney Infinity (Non-canonical appearance)