The song is a slightly romanticised version of the events at The Nore. In contrast to the Spithead mutinies the Nore events did have a slightly more political bent - during the mutiny the fleet at the Nore was known as 'The Floating Republic'. The mutinous ships flew the red flag, which had been used by the Jacobins in France. On the 13th May when the delagates came ashore they came with a large red flag flying. The red and white and blue in the song refers to the Union Flag rather than the tricolor.

The protagonist of the song is one of the 29 leaders of the mutiny who were hung, although probably not Richard Parker the nominal admiral of the mutinous fleet.

Interesting references in the song to Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke's 'swinish multitude'.