Pirates & Privateers: Be They Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Anarchist? [Pirate Day Vanity]

Various | 19 Sept 2003 | MalcolmS

[MalcolmS]

This here post be in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day: Sept 19

http://www.talklikeapirate.com

[MalcolmS]

Ahoy Mates! (That be pirate talk for Ping)

[Blood of Tyrants]

The U.S. Constitution allows Congress to issue "letters of marque", i.e. basically what that does is give privately owned ships the right to engage and seize enemy ships on the high seas.

[hauerf]

AAAAARRRRRRRR!

Aye, matey, it be a fine day for drinkin' grog.

[John Beresford Tipton]

"Rum and Gold are good to follow
'Til bones be bare and skulls be hollow"

(supposed to be a genuine pirate ditty)

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Arrrhh! I be off to the pet store to get me a parrot fer me shoulder.

I hears they be a great pirate accessory. Arrrh!

[MalcolmS]

Get your letters of marque here:

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/5213/marque2.htm


Although enshrined in the Constitution, US has since signed the scurvy Declaration of Paris outlawing their use. Shiver Me Timbers!

[Eva]

The Ballad of William Kidd

My name was William Kidd,
When I sailed, when I sailed,
My name was William Kidd,
When I sailed,
My name was William Kidd;
God's laws I did forbid,
And so wickedly I did,
When I sailed.
2. My parents taught me well,
When I sailed, when I sailed,
My parents taught me well,
When I sailed,
My parents taught me well,
To shun the gates of hell,
But against them I rebelled,
When I sailed.

3. I'd a Bible in my hand,
When I sailed, when I sailed,
I'd a Bible in my hand,
When I sailed,
I'd a Bible in my hand,
By my father's great command,
And I sunk it in the sand,
When I sailed.

4. I murdered William Moore,
As I sailed, as I sailed
I murdered William Moore, (my grandmother's ancestor)
As I sailed,
I murdered William Moore,
And laid him in his gore,
Not many leagues from shore,
As I sailed.

5. I was sick and nigh to death,
As I sailed, as I sailed
I was sick and nigh to death,
As I sailed,
I was sick and nigh to death,
And I vowed with every breath,
To walk in wisdom's ways,
When I sailed.

6. I thought I was undone,
As I sailed, as I sailed
I thought I was undone,
As I sailed,
I thought I was undone,
And my wicked glass had run,
But health did soon return,
As I sailed.

7. My repentance lasted not,
As I sailed, as I sailed
My repentance lasted not,
As I sailed,
My repentance lasted not,
My vows I soon forgot,
Damnation was my lot,
As I sailed.

8. I spied three ships from France,
As I sailed, as I sailed
I spied three ships from France,
As I sailed,
I spied three ships from France,
To them I did advance,
And took them all by chance,
As I sailed.
9. I spied three ships from Spain,
As I sailed, as I sailed
I spied three ships from Spain,
As I sailed,
I spied three ships from Spain,
I looted them for gain,
Till most of them were slain,
As I sailed.
10. I'd ninety bars of gold,
As I sailed, as I sailed
I'd ninety bars of gold,
As I sailed,
I'd ninety bars of gold,
And dollars manifold,
With riches uncontrolled,
As I sailed.

11. Thus being o'ertaken at last,
As I sailed, as I sailed
Thus being o'ertaken at last,
As I sailed,
Thus being o'ertaken at last,
And into prison cast,
And sentence being passed,
As I sailed.

12. Farewell, the raging main,
I must die, I must die,
Farewell, the raging main,
I must die,
Farewell, the raging main,
To Turkey, France, and Spain,
I shall never see you again,
For I must die.

13. To the Execution Dock,
I must go, I must go,
To the Execution Dock,
I must go,
To the Execution Dock,
While many thousands flock,
But I must bear the shock,
And must die.

14. Come all ye young and old,
And see me die, see me die,
Come all ye young and old,
And see me die,
Come all ye young and old,
You're welcome to my gold,
For by it I've lost my soul,
And must die.

15. Take a warning now by me,
For I must die, I must die,
Take a warning now by me,
For I must die,
Take a warning now by me,
And shun bad company,
Let you come to hell with me,
For I must die.

---

As I noted, William was an ancestor in my grandmother's line and this ditty was commonly sung to the kids in the family.

[MalcolmS]

Here's a fine piratical ditty about some unfortunate Canadian Pirates:

BARRETT'S PRIVATEERS
by Stan Rogers
Oh, the year was 1778, HOW I WISH I WAS IN SHERBROOKE NOW!
A letter of marque come from the king,
To the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen,
CHORUS:
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruise the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier
The last of Barrett's Privateers.
Oh, Elcid Barrett cried the town, HOW I WISH I WAS . . .
For twenty brave men all fishermen who
would make for him the Antelope's crew
(chorus)
The Antelope sloop was a sickening sight,
She'd a list to the port and and her sails in rags
And the cook in scuppers with the staggers and the jags
(chorus)
On the King's birthday we put to sea,
We were 91 days to Montego Bay
Pumping like madmen all the way
(chorus)
On the 96th day we sailed again,
When a bloody great Yankee hove in sight
With our cracked four pounders we made to fight
(chorus)
The Yankee lay low down with gold,
She was broad and fat and loose in the stays
But to catch her took the Antelope two whole days
(chorus)
Then at length we stood two cables away,
Our cracked four pounders made an awful din
But with one fat ball the Yank stove us in
(chorus)
The Antelope shook and pitched on her side,
Barrett was smashed like a bowl of eggs
And the Maintruck carried off both me legs
(chorus)
So here I lay in my 23rd year,
It's been 6 years since we sailed away
And I just made Halifax yesterday
(chorus)

For a line-by-line analysis, go to
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~jacktar/barretts.html#

Me timbers were shivered to find out that this is a very popular folk song in Canada, despite the crushing failure of the piratical mission. Arrr!

[dljordan]

The founder of our family came here in 1620 from England under somewhat suspicious circumstances. He was listed on the ship's manifest as a "Gentleman Adventurer". My mother found some records in Virginia that listed his property when he died. It seems he left mostly land, guns, armor and two ships. I wonder what he did with those ships? ARRRH!

[MalcolmS]

Arrrr! Descended from pirates bump!

[Dead Dog]

It seems he left mostly land, guns, armor and two ships. I wonder what he did with those ships?

Shame they didn't keep them in the family. They've all appreciated significantly.

[jim_trent]

Exactly what is the difference between Anarchists and Libertarians?

[freeeee]

Exactly what is the difference between Anarchists and Libertarians?

Anarchists may initiate force or fraud. They allow for no government structure and no laws.

Libertarians prohibit initiation of force or fraud. They advocate a government and a set of laws whose sole purpose is to uphold the rights of individuals.

[Congressman Billybob]

Shiver me timbers! Thankee for yar fine post, Mate-ee.

This article gives the basic reason why the Battle of Fort McHenry (where the "Star-Spangled Banner was written), determined the fate of the nation. By September, 1814, the British had already captured and burned Washington, D.C. But they had not won the war, and could not win it, unless they could shut down the docks and shipyards in Baltimore, from which the Baltimore Clippers sailed.

If the Fort had been "reduced" and surrendered, the City would have fallen. If the City fell, the shipyards would be burned. And if the Baltimore Clippers had been eliminated, the British would have won the War of 1812, and returned the American states to the status of colonies of the Crown.

And now you know "the rest of the story."

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "An Open Letter to Howard Dean," discussion thread on FR. Article is also on ChronWatch.

[MalcolmS]

Didn't you have a more article on this topic posted some time ago. Can yer dredge up a link for it andpost it here matey?


That, or you'll be walking the plank with your gizzards spilt for chum!

[mewzilla]

[Congressman Billybob]

Playboy ran a cartoon a couple decades ago that showed two sailors sitting on a stone wall in a port. A man was walking past them who had two peg legs, a parrot on each shoulder, and two peg legs. The caption was, "He's a pirate's pirate."

Cheers,

Billybob / John

[Congressman Billybob]

I wrote a two-part column on the Battle of Fort McHenry. Both were posted here on FR. Somebody who's more computer adept than I am could put up the links. The nation was saved by the winning of that Battle one hundred and ninty years and five days ago.

Billybob

Is that enough info to save my gizzards, which I'm rather attached to, by the way, from being "split for chum"?

[Congressman Billybob]

Arrrgh. Brain freeze on the cartoon. That was "two peg legs, two parrots, and two eye patches." Blast.

Billybob