50 Best Rock Songs About Boats
Top Rock Tracks That Sail Through Nautical Vibes
There’s something strange about songs tied to the ocean. They carry this pull that feels both wide open and claustrophobic, like staring out over endless water while stuck on a creaky deck. Boats in rock songs have a way of showing freedom one minute and isolation the next. It’s not always literal either. Some of these tracks never mention sails or anchors at all, but they catch that same restless energy you get when you’re drifting with no clear land ahead. It’s the kind of theme that sneaks into pop, rock, country, and R&B songs, stretching across genres without losing that saltwater mood.
Picture it playing out in your head. A rickety ferry under gray skies, cheap beer sweating in your hand, somebody yelling over wind that keeps swallowing their words. Maybe the guitar cuts sharp and metallic, like chains snapping against a dock. Maybe the vocals sound a little ragged, like they’ve been shouting over waves all night. These tracks live in that messy, swaying space where motion feels endless and slightly sickening. They don’t smooth out the ride or promise safe passage. They lean into the churn and let it rock you around.
Some songs here take you right onto the deck, sea spray in your face. Others use boats as a backdrop for leaving, returning, or sinking into something deeper. Even when the story isn’t literally tied to water, the vibe fits perfectly. These are the rock songs that capture the wild, unsteady feeling of boats and everything they symbolize. Here are the best rock songs about boats.
Top 10 Rock Songs for Boat Rides
1. 'Come Sail Away' by Styx
2. 'Sailing' by Christopher Cross
3. 'Southern Cross' by Crosby, Stills & Nash
4. 'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)' by Looking Glass
5. 'Into the Mystic' by Van Morrison
6. 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' by Gordon Lightfoot
7. 'Sloop John B' by The Beach Boys
8. 'Sail On, Sailor' by The Beach Boys
9. 'Sail to the Sky' by The Doobie Brothers
10. 'Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes' by Jimmy Buffett
Rock Songs with Sea Themes #11 to 20
11. 'Sailing' by Rod Stewart
12. 'A Salty Dog' by Procol Harum
13. 'Ship of Fools' by Robert Plant
14. 'Ride Captain Ride' by Blues Image
15. 'Six Months in a Leaky Boat' by Split Enz
16. 'Sailing Ships' by Whitesnake
17. 'The Wreck of the Zephyr' by Spock's Beard
18. 'The Mariner's Revenge Song' by The Decemberists
19. 'The Old Man and the Sea' by The Doobie Brothers
20. 'Lost Sailor' by Grateful Dead
Best Rock and Roll Songs About Ships #21 to 30
21. 'Wooden Ships' by Crosby, Stills & Nash
22. 'The Captain' by Biffy Clyro
23. 'Sea Cruise' by Frankie Ford
24. 'Ship Ahoy!' by All The Nice Girls Love a Sailor
25. 'Ship to Shore' by Chris de Burgh
26. 'I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)' by Grand Funk Railroad
27. 'Nautical Disaster' by The Tragically Hip
28. 'A Sailor's Life' by Fairport Convention
29. 'I'm Shipping Up to Boston' by Dropkick Murphys
30. 'River of Endless Love' by The Moody Blues
Boating Rock and Folk Songs #31 to 40
31. 'The Mary Ellen Carter' by Stan Rogers
32. 'Sailing to Nowhere' by Bad Religion
33. 'Sail Away' by The Allman Brothers Band
34. 'The Last Ship' by Sting
35. 'Sailor's Tale' by King Crimson
36. 'The Ocean' by Led Zeppelin
37. 'A Boat on the River' by Styx
38. 'Cool Change' by Little River Band
39. 'Orinoco Flow' by Enya
40. 'When The Ship Comes In' by Bob Dylan
Rock and Indie Songs About the Sea #41 to 50
41. 'Missed the Boat' by Modest Mouse
42. 'Boat to Bermuda' by No Suits
43. 'The Lighthouse's Tale' by Nickel Creek
44. 'Paper Boats' by Dead Man's Bones
45. 'The Shipping Forecast' by The Divine Comedy
46. 'Firth of Fifth' by Genesis
47. 'The Drunken Sailor' by The Irish Rovers
48. 'Message in a Bottle' by The Police
49. 'Ship of Fools' by World Party
50. 'Boat Drinks' by Jimmy Buffett
© 2025 Carson McQueen
