Lyrics

[Verse 1] Oh the year was 1778 How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now Well a letter of marque came from king To the scumiest vessel I've ever seen [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 2] Oh, 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 [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 3] The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now She had a list to port and sails in rags And and the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 4] And on the King's birthday we sailed away How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now We were ninety-one days from Montego Bay Pumping like madmen all the way [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 5] And on the ninety-sixth day we sailed again How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now With a bloody great Yankee Hove in sight With our cracked four pounders, we made to fight [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 6] The Yankee lay low down with gold How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now She was broad and fat and loose at the stays But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 7] 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 [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 8] The Antelope shook and she 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 my legs [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers [Verse 9] So here I lay in my twenty-third year How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now It's been six year since we sailed away And I just made Halifax yesterday [Chorus] God damn them all, I was told We'd cruise the see for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier The last of Barrett's privateers