We left our sweethearts And our wives along that pier "Cheer up", they said "You'll soon return in half a year" So we sailed up north to reach the ice We took full sails Each boat was manned with guns And rope to hunt that whale We know, that we're fighting In this frost on our own And we'll see no sound Or sight of our homes And our lovers will be Waiting there till spring It's a ramble and a race to be king Race to be king Now we've been sailing a league or three Till we glimpsed that shore The night was dark and won no hearts So we stayed on board There fired a shot along our deck And down one side And it cracked our mast and swept in fast Our bird she cried out