Greenland
Whale Fisheries 'Twas in eighteen hundred and fifty-three In June, the thirteenth day That our gallant ship her anchor weighed And for Greenland sailed away, brave boys And for Greenland sailed away. The lookout on the cross-trees stood With a spyglass in his hand There's a whale, there's a whale There's a whalefish, he cried, And she blows at every span, brave boys She blows at every span. The captain stood on the quarterdeck And a fine little man was he Overhaul! Overhaul! Let your davit-tackles fall And launch your boats for sea, brave boys And launch your boats for sea. The boats where launched with the men aboard And the whale was in full view Resolv-ed was each seaman bold To steer where the whalefish blew, brave boys To steer where the whalefish blew. We struck that whale, and the line played out But she gave a flourish with her tale The boat capsized and four men were drowned And we never caught that whale, brave boys And we never caught that whale. To lose that whale, our captain said It grieves my heart full sore But, oh, to lose four gallant men It grieves me ten times more, brave boys It grieves me ten times more. The winter star doth now appear So, boys, we'll anchor weigh It's time to leave this cold country And homeward bear away, brave boys And homeward bear away. Oh, Greenland is a dreadful place A land that's never green Where there's ice and snow And the whale fishes blow And daylight's seldom seen, brave boys And daylight's seldom seen. |
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