Greenland Fisheries

There she blows!

In eighteen hundred and fortysix
Of June the thirteenth day
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 a spyglass in his hand
There’s a whale, a whale, there’s a whalefish he cried
And she blows at every span, brave boys
And she blows at every span

Our captain he stood on the quarter deck
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

Well we struck that whale and the line gave out
But she gave a flourish with her tail
Well the boat capsized and we lost four men
And we never catched that whale, brave boys
And we never catched that whale

To lose the men our captain he said
Well it grieves my heart full sore
But oh to lose that fine big whale
Well it grieves me ten times more, brave boys
Well it grieves me ten times more

Now, Greenland is a dreadful place
It’s a place that’s never green
Where there’s ice and snow and the whale fishes blow
And the daylight’s seldom seen, brave boys
And the daylight’s seldom seen