nFor which nation do you steer , ‘tis the life of a privateer nAre you hero or rogue, pirate or demagogue nYou’ll be hated, and loved, and feared nDo the children all run from the threat of your guns nDo the ladies all swoon, when your cannons go boom n‘tis the life of a privateer nnTo some you’re a hero a-sailing the seas nTo others a monster driving men to their knees nFor pillage or plunder, or a hero’s renown nThe reason you sail judged by the stamp of a crown nn nnIn which ports do you find a welcoming kiss nWhich others welcome you with a cannonball’s hiss nWhen the battle begins, ‘gainst whom do you dance nWho signed your marque, Spain or England or France nn nnForever your life is duplicity nAn enigma, a riddle, solved with a fee nJust the swipe of a pen, and a stamped waxen seal nDetermines your fate, like the turn of a wheel nn nnEither way your home is truly the sea nFrom port to port, a bonnie lass on your knee nFor someday the winds of fortune may change nAnd your enemy’s crown, new marque may arrange nn x2