"Barrett's Privateers" is a modern folk song in the style of a sea shanty, written and performed by Canadian musician Stan Rogers, having been inspired after a song session with the Friends of Fiddler's Green at the Northern Lights Festival Boréal in Sudbury, Ontario. Many vessels of the period bore the name "Antelope", including several in the British Royal Navy named HMS Antelope.
Additionally, the listing to port could also have been caused by poor ballasting by the crew. But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
The Antelope is armed with cracked "four-pounders", quite common privateer weapons. Then at length we stood two cables away Oh Elcid Barrett cried the town, For twenty brave men, all fishermen, who Would make for him the Antelope's crew, The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight. He sets the tale in 1778, at the height of the American Revolution, when privateering was a common activity on both sides of the war. In one of their recorded performances of the song, famed Scottish folk singers The Corries state during a preamble that the song is in fact from the 18th century. However they also claim that it is the story of a Scottish exile, changing the line "I wish I was in Sherbrooke now" to "I wish I was in Edinburgh now" even though no such references appear in the lyrics, and that the Antelope's captain was "Cid Barrett" not the correct "Elcid".
How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now She was broad and fat and loose in the stays Other privateers (such as the Rolla) were lost with all hands in shipwrecks. The last of Barrett's Privateers A letter of marque came from the king God damn them all!
Barrett’s Privateers was released on the album Fogarty’s Cove in 1976. We were 91 days to Montego Bay We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
As the name of a somewhat exotic animal, it conveyed a sense of the vessel's speed, although in this case it is an ironic moniker. She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags The meaning and accuracy of some parts are open to discussion. This cover also features a guitar solo by Heri Joensen from Týr. Now the Yankee lay low down with gold The Antelope's sails are described as being "in rags", likely the result of poor upkeep. The last of Barrett's Privateers
[note 1]. Given the Antelope's state of repair, the smaller crew could be taken to mean that it was difficult to recruit for such an obviously unreliable vessel. On … The last of Barrett's Privateers So here I lay in my 23rd year The cook is described as having the "staggers and jags", a euphemism for delirium tremens resulting from alcoholism; this was an all too common condition for sailors. But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
For twenty brave men all fishermen who How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now We'd cruise the seas for American gold God damn them all! We'd cruise the seas for American gold It's been 6 years since we sailed away
The song was released on the album Fogarty's Cove in 1976 and has since gained popularity as a drinking song, with cover versions by many bands. [4] Perhaps he was referring to the community of New Ross, which was originally Sherbrooke but renamed after the War of 1812, rather than Sherbrooke village. And I just made Halifax yesterday But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier God damn them all! The song, a modern sea-shanty, was apparently inspired after a session with Friends of Fiddler’s Green at How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now In this version, the line "I wish I was in Sherbrooke now" is replaced with "I wish I was in Edinburgh now".[7]. Would make for him the Antelope's crew But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
We'd cruise the seas for American gold The last of Barrett's Privateers To the scummiest vessel I've ever seen Without good maintenance, they might also become eroded in the normal course of use. As smaller weapons, they allowed the privateer great speed, although it also meant that they lacked range. Sloops, single-masted fore-and-aft–rigged vessels, were mainly used by short range privateers in Atlantic Canada and fared poorly in West Indies cruises. The assumed authenticity is often so great that other performers have either been confused by it or played off it to fool unsuspecting audiences. After describing the initial voyage to Jamaica seeking American merchantmen and the problems with the Antelope, the unnamed narrator sings about how they finally found one, loaded down with gold. [5] Some American privateers met with disastrous fates off Nova Scotia at the hands of the Royal Navy (e.g., see the story of Young Teazer, as well as the naval battle off Halifax of 1782). Barrett’s Privateers was released on the album Fogarty’s Cove in 1976. (Image: Stan Rogers performing on the main stage of the 1982 Edmonton Folk Music Festival), She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags, And the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags, With our cracked four pounders we made to fight, She was broad and fat and loose in the stays, Our cracked four pounders made an awful din, But with one fat ball, the Yank stove us in, The Antelope shook and pitched on her side, And the Main truck carried off both me legs, Barrett's Privateers by Alestorm (Ft. Heri Joensen), Barrett's Privateers by The Real McKenzies. We'd fire no guns, shed no tears The Antelope is described as the "scummiest vessel [he'd] ever seen", and the song describes the many faults of the decrepit sloop. The Antelope has many other faults: she lists to port, and constant pumping is needed to keep ahead of the many leaks in the poorly maintained wooden hull. How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now We'd cruise the seas for American gold God damn them all! [Verse 4] How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier [Verse 9] God damn them all! I was told However, like the town of Sherbrooke, the Sir John Sherbrooke significantly post-dates the American Revolution, having been built in 1813. The refrain of "I wish I was in Sherbrooke now" is one example. It also appears on later Stan Rogers live albums Home in Halifax and Between the Breaks ... Live! ", "Barrett's Privateers, The Corries Official Website", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Barrett%27s_Privateers&oldid=986034778, Privateering in the American Revolutionary War, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 29 October 2020, at 12:04. We'd fire no guns, shed no tears The last of Barrett's Privateers. I was told With our cracked four pounders we made to fight I was told God damn them all! [3] Another possibility is that this reflects Stan Rogers's artistic license in tribute to his family origins near Sherbrooke, on Nova Scotia's eastern Shore. Given the poor armament of most merchantmen, a skilled captain could use them very effectively.
I was told We'd fire no guns, shed no tears However, a privateer out of Halifax engaged in one of the bloodiest battles in the history of privateering in a naval battle off Halifax in 1780, resulting in 51 deaths and the disabling of both vessels. And the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags We'd fire no guns, shed no tears Sloops were often used by privateers because they were good for short-range assaults. We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
Covered by The Corries, year unknown (probably 1970s–1980s) on album named Barrett's Privateers, released in 2006 with other previously not released recordings. The song, a modern sea-shanty, was apparently inspired after a session with Friends of Fiddler’s Green at the Northern Lights Festival Boréal. God damn them all!
"The Antelope" is described as a sloop in the song, with a total of 21 crew, all of whom were formerly fishermen. We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days "Barrett's Privateers" is a modern folk song in the style of a sea shanty, written and performed by Canadian musician Stan Rogers, having been inspired after a song session with the Friends of Fiddler's Green at the Northern Lights Festival Boréal in Sudbury, Ontario. Rogers's choice of names, nautical terminology, and details of weapons and places all accurately reflect historical fact, with some exaggeration on the loss of life. God damn them all! She'd a list to port and her sails in rags, And a cook in the scuppers with staggers and jags. Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town It is regarded as one of the Royal Canadian Navy's unofficial anthems, the unofficial anthem of Atlantic Canada and also often heard sung at many Atlantic universities including (west to east) Acadia University, University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University, Dalhousie University, Saint Mary's University, University of King's College, St. Francis Xavier University, Cape Breton University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland. Because of the poor state of the ship, it takes the Antelope two days to come within firing distance of the American vessel, which ultimately turns out to be far more heavily armed than they are. How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now Dan Conlin, "Is the Song Barrett's Privateers True? But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier I was told [Verse 3] But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier I was told The last of Barrett's Privateers How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now The last of Barrett's Privateers Our cracked four pounders made an awful din The last of Barrett's Privateers. Encounters of this nature were uncommon in privateering, as the aim was to capture an undamaged merchant ship. But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier From the very opening line of the song, Rogers paints a plausible and mostly authentic image of a privateering vessel. God damn them all! The Antelope shook and pitched on her side On the King's birthday we put to sea
The song has been covered by many other artists, most notably by The Real McKenzies and Alestorm, and is also the unofficial anthem of many Canadian (especially Nova Scotian) institutions, and even the Royal Canadian Navy. While stored, sails could be damaged by rats or insects.
And the Main truck carried off both me legs The last of Barrett's Privateers The song makes use of mixed meter, regularly switching back and forth from 24 to 34 time. The Celtic punk band The Real McKenzies cover the tune on their 2012 release Westwinds. Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now "Barrett's Privateers" is sung from the point of view of a young fisherman who enlisted on Elcid Barrett's ill-fated Antelope.
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold We'd fire no guns, shed no tears The last of Barrett's Privateers
The truck of the mainmast "carrie[s] off both [the narrator's] legs" leaving him a broken man. We'd cruise the seas for American gold Pumping like madmen all the way [Verse 1] The popularity of "Barrett's Privateers" has inspired cover versions by many bands, such as the metal band Alestorm on their third album, Back Through Time. [Verse 6] The Antelope's main-mast is knocked down with one volley from the American vessel, and Barrett is seriously injured.
The precise afflictions of the Antelope – listing to port, ragged sails, constant leaks, and an evidently incompetent crew – are all likely problems.
Their range was extremely limited by their small size, although even a small sloop normally warranted a crew of at least thirty, so that there might be enough men to crew a captured prize. 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.