Barrett's Privateers
Stamp'n Go Shanty Lyrics
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A letter of marque come from the king,
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen,
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
Well, Elcid Barrett cried the town, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
would make for him the Antelope's crew,
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold,
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears
Im a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
On the King's birthday we put to sea, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!
It were 91 days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold,
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears
Im a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
On the 96th day we sailed again, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold,
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears
Im a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
Then at length we stood two cables away, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold,
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears
Im a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
The Antelope sand pitched on her side, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the Maintruck carried off both me legs,
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold,
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears
Im a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
So here I lay in my 23rd year, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!
It's been 6 years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday,
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold,
We'd fire no guns - shed no tears
Im a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
"Barrett's Privateers" is a song that tells the story of a young man, the last survivor of a privateer ship commanded by Elcid Barrett, who was sent out to raid American ships during the American Revolutionary War. The song opens in 1778 where the singer says he wishes he was in Sherbrooke, a city in Quebec, Canada. He had enlisted because he had been promised that their mission was to "cruise the seas for American gold," with the king granting a "letter of marque." However, the singer quickly realizes that they were not well-equipped for the mission as they sail on "the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen."
As the song continues, the men's morale deteriorates and the singer refers to the Antelope's crew as "scum." Nonetheless, they continue to sail, hoping to find fortune, but instead are met by an American ship. Despite their best efforts, they are destroyed by the time they can see the whites of the enemy's eyes. The drama of the story reaches a climax as the Antelope sinks and the singer is among the only survivors. He reflects on the promising life he has lost and bemoans that he is now "a broken man on a Halifax pier / the last of Barrett's Privateers."
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the year was 1778, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!
The singer longs for the time when he was involved in his privateering operation in Sherbrooke in 1778.
A letter of marque come from the king, To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen, God damn them all!
The singer received a letter of marque from the king allowing him to seize enemy ships, but was given the worst ship available for the mission.
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold We'd fire no guns - shed no tears I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Privateers.
The mission was to seize American ships for their treasures without firing a shot, but the singer is now a broken man on the pier in Halifax, the last of Barrett's Privateers.
Well, Elcid Barrett cried the town, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now! For twenty brave men all fishermen who would make for him the Antelope's crew, God damn them all!
Elcid Barrett, the privateer who led the artist's mission, recruited twenty skilled fishermen to be part of the Antelope's crew.
On the King's birthday we put to sea, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now! It were 91 days to Montego Bay Pumping like madmen all the way God damn them all!
On the King's birthday, the crew set sail on their mission, journeying for 91 days to reach Montego Bay and exerting enormous effort to keep the ship functional.
On the 96th day we sailed again, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now! When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight With our cracked four pounders we made to fight God damn them all!
On the 96th day, the crew encountered an American ship and prepared to engage with their damaged weaponry.
Then at length we stood two cables away, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now! Our cracked four pounders made an awful din But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in God damn them all!
After approaching the American ship, the singer fired their deteriorating guns, but the enemy was able to strike them with a single, devastating shot.
The Antelope sand pitched on her side, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now! Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs And the Maintruck carried off both me legs, God damn them all!
The Antelope, the ship the artist was aboard, was sunk and Barrett was killed. The artist was severely injured and lost both legs when the mast fell on him.
So here I lay in my 23rd year, how I wish I was in Sherbrooke now! It's been 6 years since we sailed away And I just made Halifax yesterday, God damn them all!
The artist laments his situation lying on a Halifax pier, having just returned six years after setting sail at the age of 23.
Contributed by Katherine B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.