Stan Rogers Lyrics
Barretts Privateers

Oh, the year was 1778, HOW I WISH
I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
A letter of marque come from the king,
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen,
[Chorus:]
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town,
HOW I WISH I WAS. . .
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
would make for him the Antelope's crew
[Chorus]
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight,
She'd a list to the port and
and her sails in rags
And the cook in scuppers with the
staggers and the jags
[ Find more Lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.org/L6xg ]
[Chorus]
On the King's birthday we put to sea,
We were 91 days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way
[Chorus]
On the 96th day we sailed again,
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
[Chorus]
The Yankee lay low down with gold,
She was broad and fat and loose in the stays
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
[Chorus]
Then at length we stood two cables away,
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in
[Chorus]
The Antelope shook and pitched on her side,
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the Maintruck carried off both me legs
[Chorus]
So here I lay in my 23rd year,
it's been 6 years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday
[Chorus]