May 2023 “Barrett’s Privateer’s”, by Stan Rogers

Our new shanty for May is a heavily requested one! Released on Stan Rogers’ 1977 album Fogarty’s Cove, Barrett’s Privateers was one of the songs that jump-started Rogers’ short yet influential career as a folk singer/songwriter and is considered to be a quintessential Canadian folk song. Rogers was singing with the folk group The Friends of Fiddler’s Green in the 70’s. Frustrated that he did not know any of the lead lines to the sea shanties they were singing, he decided he’d write one! It follows the story of a privateer in Nova Scotia during the American Revolution. According to Rogers’ story, the British Parliament hired Elcid Barrett to gather a crew to rob American merchant vessels. The narrator, sung from Rogers’ perspective, joins Barrett’s crew expecting easy riches, but is confronted with a series of events that leaves him crippled, broken, and defeated.

We’re so excited for Barrett’s Privateers to be our Shanty of the Month! Come out to our events and learn how to sing along!