Re: "Barret's Privateer's", I don't have a problem with "God Damn them all..." One of the other men in my band does. We don't sing the song. Thats an editorial policy on our part. It's not censorship. Only nitwits with a deathwish will take it upon their selves to do "Peach Pickin Time In Georgia" and sing "When the pickininnies, they pick the the cotton." But the choice should be theirs to sing it that way or not. And when goodsense changes the lyrics in a song to the point where it means the same thing with only slightly different and much less offensive words then the folk process will have taken place. The big problem will always be that in the back of the crowd some joker will always yell, " Ya went to the trouble to learn the song why didn't you learn it right?" These are the people who think their's is the only version thats any good. They don't realize that "A Trooper Cut Down in his Prime", "Bang The Drum Slowly",and "Streets of Laredo" are variations of the same song and if they do, their's will surely the definitive version. In general when we play someplace we do our best to be unoffensive. We try to be rascally and a little over the edge as a part of the show. But we generally find that those who wish to be offened by something will find something offensive in anything. We had a fellow come up to us after a show and complain that tempo which we do "The Leaving of Liverpool" in was overtly militaristic! (?? ??????) and he thot we were not setting a good example. I wonder what he thot of "The Boys of The Old Brigade" or "The Outlawed Rapparrees"? You go to hear a rebel band and pay your money to get in, I'd think you would expect some politics with your music. Well we've toned down the politics considerable of late. Peace in Ireland is foremost in our hearts so we sing historical songs instead.

Regards and a happy nondenominational and gender unspecific New Year to all my new friends out there at the end of the wires.

Don " The only Scot in an Irish Rebel Band" Meixner