I thought I’d take a break from funnies and do a song this week.
Being a guitar player, Mark Knopfler is my hero. Not only does he play in a league that no one exists, he writes songs that actually have some sort of meaning.
To Wit:
Amazing.
[Verse 1]
Yon’s my privateer
See how trim she lies
To every man a lucky hand
And every man a prize
I live to ride the ocean
The mighty world around
To take a little plunder
And to hear the cannon sound
To lay with pretty women
To drink Madeira wine
To hear the rollers thunder
On a shore that isn’t mine[Chorus]
Privateering, oh we will go
Privateering, yo ho ho ho
Privateering we will go
Yo ho ho, yo ho ho[Verse 2]
The people on your man o’ war
Are treated worse than scum
I’m no flogging captain
And by God I’ve sailed with some
Come with me to Barbary
We’ll ply there up and down
Not quite exactly
In the service of the Crown
To lay with pretty women
To drink Madeira wine
To hear the rollers thunder
On a shore that isn’t mine
[Chorus]
Privateering, oh we will go
Privateering, yo ho ho ho
Privateering we will go
Yo ho ho, yo ho ho[Verse 3]
Look’ee there’s my privateer
She’s small but she can sting
Licensed to take prizes
With a letter from the King
I love the streets and taverns
Of a pretty foreign town
I tip my hat to the dark-eyed ladies
As we sally up and down
To lay with pretty women
To drink Madeira wine
To hear the rollers thunder
On a shore that isn’t mine[Chorus]
Privateering, oh we will go
Privateering, yo ho ho ho
Privateering we will go
Yo ho ho, yo ho ho
[Verse 4]
Britannia needs her privateers
Each time she goes to war
Death to all her enemies
Though prizes matter more
Come with me to Barbary
We’ll ply there up and down
Not quite exactly
In the service of the Crown
To lay with pretty women
To drink Madeira wine
To hear the rollers thunder
On a shore that isn’t mine[Chorus]
Privateering, oh we will go
Privateering, yo ho ho ho
Privateering we will go
Yo ho ho, yo ho ho
Who here knows what a privateer was? Raise your hands…
Privateers were basically legal pirates. They were issued letters of marque from the king saying it’s ok to take your shit.
You know why it’s important these days?
Because Joey IceCreamCone called for them to seize Russian citizens assets. You know, Russian dudes that had no say in the business in Ukraine? Those guys.
I’m an insufferable guitar geek. I love building and repairing them. I can’t read the headstock, but it’s a Martin shape. Looks a lot like a 1933 signature edition reissue. I saw a special where Martin made a similar guitar for Steven Stills. At least one that looks a lot like it.
My God it sings though.
Inspected By Pat 