Stephen Colbert, Michael Bublé perform ‘Barrett’s Privateers’ on ‘The Late Show’

The year was 2022, and singer Michael Bublé might have wished he had the lyrics of Barrett’s Privateers before appearing on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Wednesday night.

At one point during the talk show, Colbert noted that Sea Shanties had made a comeback in the last year or so.

“People have sung at TikTok Sea Shanties and stuff like that, and I love a good sea shanty,” he said. “I was far ahead on this one.”

He asked Bublé, who is Canadian and once worked as a fisherman, if he knew the footsteps Stan Rogers classic about Canadian pirates.

“Arr, I’m friend. Yes, I mean it,” said Bublé.

Colbert then asked him to jump in and sing with him what he had done, and agreed on the second line: “As I wish I was in Sherbrooke now!”

Even though he stumbled upon some of the lyrics, Bublé was thrilled at the release of Barrett’s Privateers, even incorporated some harmonies into the second verse.

Being from the west coast, Bublé can be forgiven for not knowing all the words.

Even though the late Rogers, who wrote the song, came from Ontario, the tune has become a bit of an unofficial Atlantic Canadian anthem – possibly due to his seafaring theme, in the line about “a broken man on a Halifax pier” . “

It’s not uncommon to hear the song sung by people at bars, universities and events around the region, with varying levels of success to keep up the pace.

In 2018, American musician Jack White sang it all Barrett’s Privateers during an encore at a concert in Halifax.