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Hazel
Song History
Barrett's
Privateers
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!
!

Choose your destiny.
There was no Elcid Barrett. There was no Antelope
sloop and there wasn't even a town of Sherbrooke
(That we know of) in the year of 1778. Stan Rogers
basically made up an imaginary privateer to carry a 60s
anti-war theme in a traditional folk setting. Having said
all that, many of the details, ranging from the type of
cannons mentioned to the letter of marque reference,
are very authentic. Stan Rogers did a fair bit of reading
about privateering and appears to have been
influenced by the historian Archibald MacMechan, who
wrote several books on Canadian privateers, as well as
a privateering song of his own, The Ballad of the Rover.