The Whale

'Twas in eighteen hundred and fifty three
And of 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 in the crosstrees stood
With his spyglass in his hand
"There's a whale, there's a whale, there's a whale fish" 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
Resolved was each seaman bold
To steer where the whale fish blew, brave boys
To steer where the whale fish 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 we know the losing of that hundred barrel whale
Well, it grieved him ten times more, brave boys
It grieved him 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

O, Greenland is a dreadful place
A land that's never green
Where there's ice and snow, and the whale fishes blow
And the daylight seldom seen, brave boys
And the daylight seldom seen