Rogers Stan - Barretts Privateers lyrics
rate meBARRETT'S PRIVATEERS<br />
by Stan Rogers<br />
Oh, the year was 1778, HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!<br />
A letter of marque come from the king,<br />
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen,<br />
CHORUS:<br />
God damn them all!<br />
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold<br />
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears<br />
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier<br />
The last of Barrett's Privateers.<br />
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town, HOW I WISH I WAS . . .<br />
For twenty brave men all fishermen who<br />
Would make for him the Antelope's crew<br />
(chorus)<br />
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight,<br />
She'd a list to the port and and her sails in rags<br />
And the cook in scuppers with the staggers and the jags<br />
(chorus)<br />
On the King's birthday we put to sea,<br />
We were 91 days to Montego Bay<br />
Pumping like madmen all the way<br />
(chorus)<br />
On the 96th day we sailed again,<br />
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight<br />
With our cracked four pounders we made to fight<br />
(chorus)<br />
The Yankee lay low down with gold,<br />
She was broad and fat and loose in the stays<br />
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days<br />
(chorus)<br />
Then at length we stood two cables away,<br />
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din<br />
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in<br />
(chorus)<br />
The Antelope shook and pitched on her side,<br />
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs<br />
And the Maintruck carried off both me legs<br />
(chorus)<br />
So here I lay in my 23rd year,<br />
It's been 6 years since we sailed away<br />
And I just made Halifax yesterday<br />
(chorus)<br />
Extracted from /pub/music/lyrics/files/misc.folk/songs.txt<br />
by Doug Henkle "henkle@vaxa.cis.uwosh.edu"
