Lead singer Paul McKenzie leads a high-energy act which does extensive concert tours, including an eight-month, twenty-three-country tour in a van. On these tours they have shared the stage with Shane MacGowan, Rancid, NOFX, Flogging Molly, The Misfits, and even Metallica.
In addition to their original music, the McKenzies also resurrect old Scottish and Irish favorites, giving them a modern arrangement. Their songs have been used in beer commercials and featured in video games
* Paul McKenzie — vocals
* Dirty Kurt Robertson — guitar, vocals
* Matthew MacNasty — bagpipes real name: Matthew James Hawley
* "Little" Joe Raposo (RKL) — bass guitar
* Sean Sellers (Good Riddance) — war drums
* Mark "Bone" Boland — guitar, vocals
* Dave Gregg (D.O.A) - Guitar
* Gwomper ( Avail, Smoke or Fire.) -Bass, Vocals.
* Gord Taylor ( The Stirling Pipe Band ) --Bagpipes.
* Karl Alvarez ( All, The Descendants.) --Bass.
Barrett's Privateers
The Real McKenzies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
Well a letter of marque came from the king
To the scummiest vessel I've ever seen
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
Would make up for the Antelope's crew
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
Now the Antelope she was a sickening sight
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
And the cook in the scuppers with the shakes and the jags
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
And on the King's birthday we sailed away
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
We were 97 days from Montego Bay
We were pumping like madmen all the way
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
And on the 98th day we sailed again
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
With a big fat American hove in sight
Our cracked four pounders made to fight
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
That Yankee she lay low with gold
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
She was big and fat and loose at the stays
And to catch her took us three whole days
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
Well at last we stood two cables away
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
Well our cracked four pounders made an awful din
But an American ball come staved us in
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
Now the Antelope shook and she pitched on her side
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
Well Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the main truck took off both my legs
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm 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
Well it's been 6 years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
God damn them all! I was told
We'd sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
And you'll never find a better man far or near
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers
The Real McKenzies’ “Barrett’s Privateers” is a storytelling song about a man, possibly the last surviving member of a privateer crew named Barrett’s Privateers, who recounts his unpleasant experience during their mission to capture American ships during the American Revolution. The song is set in 1778, during the War of Independence between America and Great Britain. The singer was press-ganged, forced to join the crew of a privateer ship headed by a captain named Elcid Barrett. Hoping to sail the seas and capture American ships for gold, the crew suffers numerous setbacks, including an attack that leaves them disabled and Barrett and others dead. The singer narrowly survives, but loses his legs and is now a broken man living on a Halifax pier.
The lyrics use vivid maritime imagery to transport the listener to the era and theme of the song. We can envision the ragged sails of the Antelope and the sight of the American ship. Through the use of foul language, we feel the singer’s frustration with the misadventures of the ill-fated crew. The song’s ending leaves us with the sense of isolation and resignation that the singer feels as the last of his kind, a man who will never experience the excitement of life at sea again.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the year was 1778
The year was 1778
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
The singer wishes they were in Sherbrooke now
Well a letter of marque came from the king
A letter of marque came from the king
To the scummiest vessel I've ever seen
The ship receiving the letter of marque is the scummiest vessel the artist has ever seen
God damn them all! I was told
The artist damn all those involved for telling him that they would sail for American gold without firing any guns or shedding any tears
We'd sail the seas for American gold
The singer and his crew were to sail the seas for American gold
We'd fire no gun, shed no tear
They were not supposed to fire any guns or shed any tears
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
However, the artist is now a broken man on a pier in Halifax
The last of Barrett's Privateers
The artist is the last of Barrett's Privateers
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town
The town spoke highly of Elcid Barrett
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
Elcid Barrett recruited twenty brave fishermen
Would make up for the Antelope's crew
These fishermen would make up for the Antelope's crew
Now the Antelope she was a sickening sight
The Antelope was a sickening sight
She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
Its sail was in bad shape and leaned to the port side
And the cook in the scuppers with the shakes and the jags
The cook was unwell and witless in the scuppers
And on the King's birthday we sailed away
They sailed away on the King's birthday
We were 97 days from Montego Bay
They were 97 days from Montego Bay
We were pumping like madmen all the way
During the trip, they were frantically pumping water out of the ship
And on the 98th day we sailed again
They sailed again on the 98th day
With a big fat American hove in sight
They saw a large American ship in their sights
Our cracked four pounders made to fight
They readied their cracked four-pound cannons to fight
That Yankee she lay low with gold
The American ship had plenty of gold and was heavily loaded down
She was big and fat and loose at the stays
The American ship was large and heavy, and its stays were not very secure
And to catch her took us three whole days
It took three days to catch the American ship
Well at last we stood two cables away
They finally stood two cables away from the American ship
Well our cracked four pounders made an awful din
Their cracked four-pound cannons made a terrible noise
But an American ball come staved us in
Unfortunately, the American ship's cannon had hit them
Now the Antelope shook and she pitched on her side
The Antelope shook and pitched on the side after being hit by the American's cannon
Well Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
Barrett was destroyed like a broken bowl of eggs
And the main truck took off both my legs
The mast's top section removed both of the singer's legs
So here I lay in my 23rd year
The singer now lays in his 23rd year
It's been 6 years since we sailed away
It's been six years since they sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday
The artist finally made it to Halifax yesterday
And you'll never find a better man far or near
Even though the artist is now a broken man, nobody can find a better man than him far or near.
I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The singer is still a broken man on a pier in Halifax
God damn them all! I was told
The artist is still damn those involved for telling him that they would sail for American gold without firing any guns or shedding any tears
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Stanley Rogers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind