The Coast of Peru
Come all ye young fellows that's bound after s**m
Come all ye young fellows that's rounded the Horn
Our captain has told us, and we hope it will come true
That there's plenty of s**m whales on the coast of Peru
We have weathered the Horn, and are now on Peru
We are all of one mind and endeavor to do
Our boats are all rigged and our masthead all manned
Our riggin' rove right and our signals all planned
The first whale we saw, it was late in the day
The captain come up and these words he did say:
"Get into your hammocks and quiet there be
We'll see him in the morning close under our lee."
Next morning at daybreak about five o'clock
The man at the masthead cried "Yonder she spouts!
Where away does she lay?" and the answer from aloft
"Two points on our lee bow and about three miles off."
Then it's call up all hands, and be of good cheer;
Put your tubs in your boats, boys, have your bow lines all clear
Sway up your boats now, jump in you boat's crew
Lower away now lower away, my brave fellows, do
Our waist boat got down and of course got the start
Lay on, captain Bunker, I'm hell for to dart
Now bend to your oars, boys, and make your boat fly
But one thing we dread of, be clear of his eye
Now the chief mate he struck him, and the whale he went down
And the captain pulled up and he tried to bend on
But the whale began to vomit and blood for to spout
And in less than ten minutes we had him fin out
We towed him alongside,and with many a shout
We soon cut him in, and began to try out
Now our whale she is tried and likeways stowed down
She is better to us boys than five hundred pounds
Here's a health to all whalemen, boys, drink it down, do
Likewise to the Bengal and our whaleship's crew
All you that want money, I would have you to go
On the coast of Peru where the s**m whales do blow
From Gale Huntington's book- Songs the Whalemen Sang. Collected
From logbook of Ship Bengal, journal of Ira Poland, 1832
Recorded by A. L. Lloyd- Haul on the Bowline (sl. different
Different tune), Warner and Davis (?)