Carl Peterson - Greenland Whale Fisheries lyrics

'Was in 18 hundred and 53 Of June the thirteenth day That are gallant ship her anchor weighed And for Greenland bore away, brave boys And for Greenland bore away. The lookout in the mainmast stood With a spygla** 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 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." Now the boats were launched and the men aboard, And the whale was full in view. Resolved, resolved was each sailor-man bold For to steer where the whalefish blew, brave boys For to steer where the whalefish blew. We struck that whale, the line played out But she gave a flourish with her tail The boat capsized, and we lost four men And we never caught that whale, brave boys And we never caught that whale "To lose the whale," our captain said, It grieves my heart full sore, But to lose, to lose those four gallant men 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 bears no green Where there's ice and there's snow and the whale-fishes blow And the daylight's seldom seen, brave boys And the daylight's seldom seen