Privateering

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

Privateering, oh, we will go

Privateering, yo ho ho ho

Privateering we will go

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

Privateering, oh, we will go

Privateering, yo ho ho ho

Privateering we will go

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

Privateering we will go

Privateering, yo ho ho ho

Privateering we will go

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

Privateering, oh, we will go

Privateering, yo ho ho ho

Privateering we will go