Barrett's Privateers
The Irish Descendants Lyrics

Oh, the year was 1778, HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
The song describes an event from the year 1778 where Barrett and his team were given a letter of marque from the King for the Antelope sloop.

A letter of marque come from the king,
A letter of marque was issued by the King giving Barrett the power to operate as a privateer.

To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen,
The Antelope sloop was in poor condition and not up to the standard of a normal vessel for privateering.

God damn them all!
The singer curses those responsible for the mission and the resulting consequences.

I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
Barrett and his team were given the mission to target American ships and confiscate their cargo.

We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Barrett’s mission was sneaky and meant to be executed without violence.

Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The singer is now a disabled and emotionally broken man, living in Halifax.

The last of Barrett's Privateers.
The last remaining survivor of Barrett's team.

Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town, HOW I WISH I WAS . . .
Barrett was a hero in his own town and the lyrics express his longing to go back.

For twenty brave men all fishermen who
Barrett and his team crewed the Antelope sloop with 20 fishermen who would expect a share of the loot.

Would make for him the Antelope's crew
The fishermen crewed the Antelope sloop for Barrett’s mission.

The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight,
The Antelope sloop was not in good condition and not suited for the mission.

She'd a list to the port and and her sails in rags
The Antelope sloop was damaged and had torn and tattered sails.

And the cook in scuppers with the staggers and the jags
The cook was drunk and unable to help with the voyage.

On the King's birthday we put to sea,
The team started their mission on the King's birthday.

We were 91 days to Montego Bay
It took the team 91 days to reach Montego Bay.

Pumping like madmen all the way
The team worked very hard, almost like madmen, to keep the Antelope sloop going.

When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
A large, well-equipped Yankee ship was spotted on the horizon.

With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
The team tried to fight the Yankee ship with their damaged four pound cannons.

The Yankee lay low down with gold,
The Yankee ship was loaded with gold and was running low in the water.

She was broad and fat and loose in the stays
The Yankee ship was big, fat and poorly rigged.

But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
It took the Antelope sloop two days to catch up with the low-in-the-water Yankee ship.

Then at length we stood two cables away,
After catching up, the team fought the Yankee ship from a close distance.

Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
Despite being damaged, the four pound cannons continued to create a lot of noise.

But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in
The Yankee ship fired one successful shot that hit the Antelope sloop.

The Antelope shook and pitched on her side,
The Antelope sloop became shaky and tilted following the Yankee ship's attack.

Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
Barrett was badly injured and incapacitated by the attack.

And the Maintruck carried off both me legs
The mainmast of the Antelope sloop fell onto the singer and caused him to lose both his legs.

So here I lay in my 23rd year,
The singer writes of his current status, lying on a bed in his 23rd year of life.

It's been 6 years since we sailed away
It's been six years since Barrett's team set out on its mission.

And I just made Halifax yesterday
The singer recently arrived in Halifax after a long journey.