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Greenland Fisheries

 
'Twas in eighteen hundred and fifty three
On 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 a 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 quarter-deck
And a fine little man was he
"Overhaul! Overhaul! let your davit-tackles fall
And launch your boats for the sea, brave boys
And launch your boats for the sea"

Now the boats were launched and the men aboard
And the whale was full in view
Resolv-ed was each seaman bold
To steer where the whalefish blew, brave boys
To steer where the whalefish blew

We struck the whale, and the line paid out
But she gave such a flourish with her tail
That the boat capsized and four men were lost
And we never caught that whale, brave boys
And we never caught that whale

"To lose that whale" our captain said
"It grieves my heart full sore
But to lose four of our gallant sailor boys
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