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The Greenland Whale
Fisheries
Traditional
Irish Song
Switch your speakers on & sing along with The Dubliners
In
eighteen hundred & seventy four
On
March the eighteenth day
We
hoisted our colours to the top of the mast
And
for Greenland bore away,
Brave
boys,
And
for Greenland bore away
The lookout on the mainmast he stood
His spyglass in his hand
*There's a whale. there's a whale,
There's a whale fish*, he cried
*And he blows at every span,
Brave boys,
And he blows at every span*.
The captain stood on the quarterdeck
The ice was in his eye
*Overhaul, overhaul,
Let your jib sheets fall
And go put your boats to sea,
Brave boys,
And go put your boats to sea*.
The boats were lowered and the men put out
The whale was full in view
Resolved, resolved
Was each whalerman bold
For to steer where the whalefish blew,
Brave boys,
For to steer
where the whalefish blew.
The harpoon struck and the line played out
With a single flourish of his tail
He capsized our boat and we lost five men
And we did not catch that whale,
Brave boys,
And we did not catch that whale.
The losin' of them five jolly men
It grieved our captain sore
But the losin' of that sperm whale fish
Oh it grieved him ten times more,
Brave boys,
Oh it grieved him ten times more.
*Up anchor now* our captain he cried
*For the winter stars do appear
And it's time we left this cold country*
And for the homeland we did steer,
Brave boys,
For the homeland we did steer.
Well, Greenland is a barren land
A land that bears no green
Where there's ice & snow
And the whale fishes blow
And the daylight's seldom seen,
Brave boys,
And the daylight's seldom seen.
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