The Greenland Whale Fisheries

(Greenland Fishery; The Whale)

'Twas in eighteen hundreed and fifty three,
and of June the thirteenth day,
That our gallant ship her anchor weighed,
And for Greenland bore away, brave boys,
And for Greenland bore away.

The lookout in the crosstrees stood,
With his 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,
And 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."

Now the boats were launched and 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, the line paid out,
But she gave a flourish with her tail;
The boat capsized and four men were drowned,
And we never caught that whale, brave boys,
And we never caught that whale.

"To lose the boat," 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 whalefishes blow,
And the daylight's seldom seen, brave boys,
And the daylight's seldom seen.

From Roll and Go by Joanna Carver Colcord (1924)

O, 'twas in the year of ninety-four,
and of June the second day,
That our gallant ship her anchor weighed,
and from Stromnees bore away, brave boys!
And from Stromnees bore away!

Now Speedicut was our captain's name,
And our ship the Lion bold,
And we were bound to far Greenland,
To the land of ice and cold - brave boys
To the land of ice and cold.

And when we came to far Greenland,
And to Greenland cold came we,
Where there's ice, and there's snow, and the whalefishes blow,
We found all open sea - brave boys
We found all open sea.

Then the mate he climbed to the crow's nest high,
With his spy-glass 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.

Our captain stood on his quarter-deck,
And a fine little man was he.
"Overhaul, overhaul, on your davit tackle fall,
And launch your boats to sea" - brave boys
And launch your boats to the sea.

Now the boats were launched and the men a-board,
With the whalefish full in view;
Resol-ved were the whole boat's crews
To steer where the whalefish blew - brave boys,
To steer where the whalefish blew.

And when we reached that whale, my boys,
He lashed out with his tail,
And we lost a boat, and seven good men,
And we never caught that whale - brave boys,
And we never caught that whale.

Bad news, bad news, to our captain came,
That grieved him very sore,
But when he found that his cabin-boy was gone,
Why it grieved him ten times more - brave boys,
It grieved him ten times more.

O, Greenland is an awful place,
Where the daylight's seldom seen,
Where there's ice, and there's snow, and the whalefishes blow,
Then adieu to cold Greenland - brave boys,
Adieu to cold Greenland.

From Sea Songs and Shanties by W. B. Whall (1910, 1912, 1913, 1920)