Last Bristolian Pirate

An authorized adaptation of Canada's own Arrogant Worms classic "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate", originally released on their self-titled 1992 album. The Longest Johns rewrote a number of the lyrics to apply to Bristol instead of Saskatchewan, while managing to maintain the impact of the jokes scattered throughout the song. (Though, admittedly, the replacement of Regina with the Severn for the chorus takes out some of the impact, given the punchline of using Regina is that it is an almost wholly landlocked city.)

Last Bristolian Pirate appears as a live recording on the physical release of Bones in the Ocean. It also appears as track 7 on the 2020 album Cures What Ails Ya.

Factoids[]

Western Line refers to the The Great Western Main Line, a railway that runs from Paddington station in London to Temple Meads station in Bristol.

The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, flowing 220 miles (354 km) from the Cambrian Mountains in central Wales to the Bristol Channel separating south Wales from southwest England.

The farmer on the tractor in the music video is played by Rich Laws, the band's drummer.^[1]

Lyrics[]

Lyrics as printed in the album sleeve; the original Saskatchewan version can be found here.

Oh I used to be a farmer, and I made a living fine
I had a little stretch of land along the western line
But times were hard and though I tried the money wasn't there
and bankers came and took my land and told me: "fair is fair."

I looked for every kind of job the answer always: "no"
"Hire you now?", they'd always laugh, "we just let twenty go"
The government they promised me a measly little sum
But I've got too much pride to end up just another bum

And I said: "who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone
I'm going to be a pirate on the river Severn!"

{Chorus} And it's a-heave-ho hi-ho coming down the plains
Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains
And it's a-ho-hey hi-hey farmers bar your doors
When ya see the jolly roger on the Severn's mighty shores

You'd think the other farmers would know that I'm at large
But just the other day I saw an unsuspecting barge
I snuck up right behind them and they were none the wiser
I rammed their boat and sank it and I stole the fertilizer!
A bridge outside of Redwick spans a mighty river
Farmers cross in so much fear their stomachs are a-quiver
Cause they know that Tractor Jack is hiding in the bay
I'll jump the bridge and knock them cold and sail off with their hay!

{Chorus}

Well officer Robbie chased me, he was always at my throat
But he followed on the shoreline cause he didn't own a boat
But cut backs were a-coming and the copper lost his job
And now he sails with us and we call him salty Rob!

A swinging sword, a skull and bones and pleasant company,
I'll never pay my income tax and screw the VAT (screw it!)
Sailing out past Oldbury, the terror of the seas
If you wanna get to Tesco boys, you've gotta get by me!

{Chorus}

Well pirate life's appealing, but you don't just find it here
I hear that up in Yorkshire there's a band of buccaneers
They roam around the Yorkshire dales from Smith to Beverley
And you're bound to lose your flat cap if you have to pass their way

Winter is a-coming and a chill is in the breeze
My pirate days are over if the rivers start to freeze
But I'll be back in springtime and now I've got to fly
I hear there's lots of plundering down in the Isle of Wight

{Chorus x2}

When you see the Jolly Roger on the Severn's mighty shores (Hey!)

Recordings[]

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↑ https://youtu.be/UZ8jjvjswYM?t=9069

[1] ttps://youtu.be/UZ8jjvjswYM?t=9069

[1]