Barrett's Privateers
Kimber's Men Lyrics

Oh, the year was 1778
The year was 1778, setting the context for the events that follow

How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
Repeated throughout the song as an expression of regret for the singer's current situation

A letter of marque came from the king
The singer and his crew received a legal document from the king, authorizing them to capture enemy ships

To the scummiest vessel I've ever seen
The ship they were given, the Antelope, was in terrible condition and had a bad reputation

God damn them all! I was told
The artist expresses frustration and anger with those who promised them their mission would be easy and profitable

We'd cruise the seas for American gold
The purpose of their mission was to capture American ships and take their valuable cargo

We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
The singer expresses the initial hope that their mission could be completed without violence or loss

But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The artist is now a defeated and injured man, looking back with regret on his past choices

The last of Barrett's Privateers
The artist is the only surviving member of the privateer ship, Barrett's Antelope

Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town
The town's people called the ship 'Barrett's Antelope', blaming Captain Barrett for the failed mission

For twenty brave men all fishermen who
Barrett recruited 20 fishermen to join his crew in carrying out the mission

Would make for him the Antelope's crew
The fishermen became the crew of the Antelope, under Barrett's leadership

The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight
The condition of the Antelope was so bad that it made the singer feel ill to look at it

She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
The ship was tilted to one side and its sails were torn

And the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags
The cook was so drunk and unsteady that he fell into the drain holes on the deck

On the King's birthday we put to sea
They set sail on the King's birthday to carry out their mission

We were 91 days to Montego Bay
The journey to Montego Bay took 91 days

Pumping like madmen all the way
They had to constantly pump water out of the ship in order to keep it afloat

On the 93rd day we sailed again
After a brief stopover in Montego Bay, they resumed their mission

When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
A large American ship was spotted on the horizon

With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
They attempted to fight using outdated and damaged cannons

Now the Yankee lay low down with gold
The American ship was heavily laden with valuable cargo

She was broad and fat and loose in the stays
The American ship was large and full of treasure but also poorly maintained

But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
Despite the American ship's flaws, it took two days for the Antelope to capture it

Then at length we stood two cables away
The two ships were finally close enough to prepare for the final confrontation

Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
The cannons made a loud noise as they were fired

But with one fat ball, the Yank stove us in
The American ship fired a single cannonball that caused significant damage to the Antelope

The Antelope pitched and went on her side
The Antelope tilted and began to capsize

Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
Captain Barrett was killed and his body was badly injured

And the Main truck carried off both me legs
The part of the ship's mast where the singer was standing was broken and he lost both legs

Well here I lay in my 23rd year
The singer reflects on his current situation, lying on the pier at age 23

It's been 6 years since we sailed away
Six years have passed since the failed mission

And I just made Halifax yesterday
The artist finally arrived back in Halifax after a long absence