See how trim she lies
To every man a lucky hand
And to 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 roller's thunder
On a shore that isn't mine
Privateering, we will go
Privateering, Yoh! oh! ho!
Privateering, we will go
Yeah! oh! oh! ho!
The people on your Man 'o war
Are treated worse than scum
I'm no flogging Captain
My 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 roller's thunder
On a shore that isn't mine
Privateering, we will go
Privateering, Yoh! oh! ho!
Privateering, we will go
Yeah! oh! oh! ho!
Look here 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
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 roller's thunder
On a shore that isn't mine
Privateering, we will go
Privateering, Yoh! oh! ho!
Privateering, we will go
Yeah! oh! oh! ho!
Britannia needs her Privateers
Each time she goes to war
Death to all her enemies
No prizes matter more
Come with me to Barbary
We'll ply there up and down
Not quite exactly
In the service of the Crown
I lay with pretty women
To drink Madeira wine
To hear the roller's thunder
On a shore that isn't mine
Privateering, we will go
Privateering, Yoh! oh! ho!
Privateering, we will go
Yeah! oh! oh! ho!
Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits from 1977 to 1988, and from 1990 to 1995. He pursued a solo career after the band dissolved, and is now an independent artist.
Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in Blyth, near Newcastle. After graduating from the University of Leeds and working for three years as a college lecturer, Knopfler co-founded Dire Straits with his younger brother, David Knopfler. The band recorded six albums, including Brothers in Arms (1985), one of the best-selling albums in history. After they disbanded in 1995, Knopfler began a solo career, and has produced nine solo albums. He has composed and produced film scores for nine films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), Wag the Dog (1997) and Altamira (2016). He has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.
Described by Classic Rock as a virtuoso, Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". With Dire Straits, Knopfler sold between 100 million and 120 million records. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom. Knopfler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.
