Oh, the year was seventeen seventy-eight How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now A letter of marque came 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 But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

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 But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

The Antelope sloop 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 staggers and jags

God damn them all, I was told, We'd cruise the seas for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

On the King's birth-day we put to sea How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now We were ninety-one days to Mon-tego 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 But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

On the ninety-sixth day we sailed a-gain 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 But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

The Yankee lay low down with gold How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now She was broad and fat and loose in stays But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days

God damn them all, I was told, We'd cruise the seas for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

Then at length we stood two cables a-way 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 But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

The Antelope shook and pitched on her side How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs And the main-truck 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 But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers

So here I lay in me twenty-third year How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now It's been six years since we sailed a-way And I just made Halifax yester-day

God damn them all, I was told, We'd cruise the seas for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's Priva-teers