Originally From: Barrie McCombs - Modified by Daniel Sadler
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Oh, the year was seventeen seventy-eight
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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A letter of marque came from the king
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To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican gold
(*)
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
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The last of Barrett's Priva-teers
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Well, Elcid Barrett cried the town
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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For twenty brave men, all fishermen, who
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Would make for him the Antelope's crew
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican gold
(*)
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
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The last of Barrett's Priva-teers
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The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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She'd a list to the port and her sails in rags
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And the cook in the scuppers with the staggers and jags
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican gold
(*)
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
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The last of Barrett's Priva-teers
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On the King's birth-day we put to sea
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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We were ninety-one days to Mon-tego Bay
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Pumping like madmen all the way
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican gold
(*)
We'd fire no guns, shed no tears
But I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
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The last of Barrett's Priva-teers
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On the ninety-sixth day we sailed a-gain
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
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With our cracked four-pounders, we made to fight
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican 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
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The Yankee lay low down with gold
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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She was broad and fat and loose in stays
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But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican 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
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Then at length we stood two cables a-way
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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Our cracked four-pounders made an awful din
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But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican 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
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The Antelope shook and pitched on her side
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
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And the main-truck carried off both me legs
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican 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
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So here I lay in me twenty-third year
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How I wish I was in Sherbrooke now
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It's been six years since we sailed a-way
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And I just made Halifax yester-day
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God damn them all, I was told,
We'd cruise the seas for A-merican 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
SYMBOLS:
- Asterisk (*) = new measure, play same chord
- Period (.) = 1/8 note rest at start of a measure
- Underline(_) = sustain note into next measure