Greenland Whale
Fisheries
- It was in [G]eighteen
hundred and fifty-three,
Of [C]June,
the [G]thirteenth [D]day,
That our [G]gallant
ship, her [C]anchor [G]weighed,
And for Greenland [D]sailed
a-[G]way, brave [Em]boys;
For [G]Greenland
[D]sailed a-[G]way.
- The [G]lookout in
the crow’s nest stood
With his [C]spyglass
[G]in his [D]hand.
“There’s a [G]whale,
there’s a whale, there’s a [C]whale-fish.”
he [G]cried
And she blows at [D]ev-ery
[G]span, brave [Em]boys;
She [G]blows
at [D]ev-ery [G]span.
- Oh, the [G]Captain
at the capstan stood.
A [C]greedy
[G]bastard [D]he.
“Over-[G]haul!
Over-haul! Let your [C]davit tackles [G]fall,
And launch your [D]boats
for the [G]sea.” Brave [Em]boys;
[G]Launch
your [D]boats for the [G]sea.
- Now the [G]boats
were launched and the men aboard,
And the [C]whale
was [G]in full [D]view.
Re-[G]sol-vèd
was each [C]seaman [G]bold
To steer where that [D]whale-fish
[G]blew, brave [Em]boys;
To [G]steer
where that [D]whale-fish [G]blew.
- We [G]stuck the
whale and the line payed out
But she [C]gave
such a [G]flunder with her [D]tail
That a [G]boat
capsized and [C]four men were [G]drowned,
And we never [D]caught
that [G]whale, brave [Em]boys;
No, we [G]never
[D]caught that [G]whale.
- “Now, [G]losing
men,” our Captain said,
“It [C]grieves
my [G]heart full [D]sore.”
“But, [G]oh!
to lose that [C]hundred-barrel [G]whale,
You know it [D]grieves
me ten times [G]more.” Brave [Em]boys;
It [G]grieves
me [D]ten times [G]more.
- And the [G]winter
star doth now appear.
So, [C]boys
we’ll [G]anchor [D]weigh.
It’s [G]time
to leave this [C]cold count-er-[G]y,
And we’ll [D]homeward
sail a-[G]way, brave [Em]boys;
We’ll [G]homeward
[D]sail a-[G]way.
- Oh, [G]Greenland
is a dreadful place
A [C]place
that’s [G]never [D]green.
There’s [G]ice
and snow, and the [C]whale-fishes [G]blow,
And the daylight’s [D]seldom
[G]seen, brave [Em]boys;
And [G]daylight’s
[D]seldom [G]seen.
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