Greenland Whale Fisheries

(1. modern folk version)

Words & Music:

Traditional Sea Shanty

 

This is a traditional sea shanty; however, unlike most of them (which can trace their roots to the 1830s-1850s), this shanty was first published as a ballad before 1725.  There are many variations and covers and David Hodge has an arrangement of it in the March 2007 issue of Acoustic Guitar.

 

      G        C           G                           Am         D

'Twas eighteen hundred and fifty-three and on June the thirteenth day,

         G       Am        C      D

That our gallant ship, her anchor weighed,

        G         Am     D                       G         C    D7 G

And for Greenland bore away, brave boys, and for Greenland bore a--way.

[alt:  And from England bore away...]

        E         B7     E

And for Greenland bore a-way.

 

Our captain stood on the quarterdeck

With a spyglass in his hand,

"It's a whale, and a whale, and a whalefish," cried he,

Where she blows at every span, brave boys,

Where she blows at every span.

 

Then the boats were launched and the men on board

With the whalefish well in view,

And well-prepared were all our jolly shipmates

For to strike where the whalefish blew, brave boys,

For to strike where the whalefish blew.

 

Then the whale was struck and the line played out,

But he gave such a flourish with his tail,

He capsized our boat, and we lost five men,

And we never did catch that whale, brave boys,

And we never did catch that whale.

 

Well, then, the loss of that whalefish,

It grieved our hearts full sore,

But oh! The loss of our five shipmates,

That grieved us ten times more, brave boys,

That grieved us ten times more.

"Up anchor, up anchor," our captain cried,

 

"Let us leave this cold country,

Where the storm and the snow and the whalefish do blow,

And the daylight's seldom seen, brave boys,

And the daylight's seldom seen."

 


(2. 1833 Bengal Journal version, per Bob Pfeiffer)

Words & Music:

Traditional Sea Shanty

 

This lyric version came from The Mudcat Cafˇ.  Your source for all things DigiTrad!

 

         D  A7          D                   D           A7

'Twas in 17 hundred and 84 and of March the seventeenth day

        D                          G           D         A7    D          A7

That we weighed our anchors to our bow and for Greenland bore away, brave boys!

        D       A7      D

And for Greenland bore away.

 

Bold Stevens was our captain's name & our ship the "Lion" so bold

And we, poor souls, our anchors weighed

To face the storms and cold, brave boys, to face the storms and cold.

 

And when we arriv-ed in that cold countree

Our goodly ship to moor

We wished ourselves safe back again

With those pretty girls on shore, brave boys, ith those pretty girls on shore.

 

Our boatswain in the maintop stood

With a spyglass in his hand

"A whale, a whale my lads," he cried

And she spouts at every span, brave boys, and she spouts at every span.

 

Our captain walked 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."

 

We struck that whale, and down she went

But she gave a flourish with her tail

And the boat capsized, and four gallant men were drown'd

And we never caught that whale, brave boys, and we never caught that whale.

 

Well, the losin' of those gallant men

It grieves my heart full sore

But the losin' of a hundred-barrel whale

Well it grieves me ten times more, brave boys, well, it grieves me ten times more.

 

The winter star doth now appear

So boys, we'll anchors weigh

It's time to leave this cold countree

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 there's snow and the whale-fishes blow

And daylight's seldom seen, brave boys, and daylight's seldom seen.


(3. "Greenland Whale Fishery" version)

Words & Music:

Traditional Sea Shanty

 

Per The Mudcat Cafˇ, this was printed in Patrick Shuldham-Shaw and Emily B. Lyle, The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection, vol 1., version A.

 

No longer we will stay on shore since we are so deep in debt

And a voyage to Greenland we will go

Some money for to make, brave boys, some money for to make.

 

It was the year of eighteen five and March the twentieth day

When our gallant ship from her anchor swayed

To the seas she bore away, brave boys, to the seas she bore away.

 

It's Bollard was our captain's name and our ship the Lion bold

We're away to some far north cold country

Where the snow forever lies, brave boys, where the snow forever lies

 

When we did arrive in this far country where the snow for ever lies

Where the hail, wind and snow, and the big whales blow

And the daylight never dies, brave boys, and the daylight never dies

 

Our mate was up in the crow's nest high with a spy glass in his hand

"Oh a whale, oh a whale, oh a whale fish," he cried

"And he blows at every span, brave boys, and he blows at every span"

 

Our captain on the deck did run and a clever little man was he

"Overhaul, ovehaul, from the davits let them fall

And lower your boats to the sea, brave boys, and lower your boats to the sea"

 

The boats being launched and the lines paid out and every boat her crew

There have orders been given to all steersmen

To steer where the whale fish blew, brave boys, to steer where the whale fish

blew.

 

Oh we steered east and we steered west and it's all to catch the whale

But he capsized our boats and we lost five men

Nor did we catch the whale, brave boys, nor did we catch the whale

 

When this sad news to our captain came, he called up his old ship's crew

For the losing of his five 'prentice boys

He down his colors drew, brave boys, he down his colors drew.

 

Alas, alas, don't be dismayed for the losing of five men

For Providence will have its own way

Let a man do all that he can, brave boys, let a man do all that he can.

 

 


(4. "Greenland Fisheries" version)

Words & Music:

Traditional Sea Shanty

 

 

1. 'Twas in eighteen hundred and fifty-three

And of June the thirteenth day,

That our gallant ship her anchor weighed,

And for greenland bore away, brave boys,

And for greenland bore away.

 

2. The lookout in the crosstrees stood

With spyglass in his hand;

There's a whale, there's a whale, there's whalefish he cried

And she blows at every span, brave boys

She blows at every span.

 

3. 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 sea, brave boys

And launch your boats for sea.

 

4. 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.

 

5. We stuck the 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.

 

6. "To lose the whale," our captain said,

It grieves my heart full sore,

But oh! to lose (those) four gallant men

It grieves me ten times more brave boys

It grieves me ten times more.

 

7. The winter star doth now appear,

So, boys we'll anchor weight;

It's time to leave this cold country

And homeward bear away, brave boys

And homeward bear away.

 

8. 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

But the daylight's seldom seen.





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