Greenland Whale Fisheries

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"Greenland Whale Fisheries" is a traditional sea shanty. The song does not date from before the mid-19th century, as the song opens up giving a date (usually between 1823 and 1853).

The song tells of a whaling expedition that leaves for Greenland. The lookout spots a "whalefish", and harpoon boats are launched. However, the whale strikes the boat with its tail, capsizing it, and several men are killed. The captain grieves over losing his prey, but especially for having lost his men. He then orders the ship to sail for home, calling Greenland a "dreadful place."

Like most traditional songs, "Greenland Whale Fisheries" exists in different versions. Some change details (such as the date of the expedition), and other contain more or less verses than others. Perhaps due to the wide influence of Moby-Dick, some modern versions, including the one recorded by The Pogues for their album Red Roses for Me, flip the captain's expression of grief to make him regret losing his catch even more than losing his crew.

This is one version of the song using words written down by Harry Cox of Norfolk.

In eighteen hundred and twenty-three
On March the thirteenth day,
we hoisted our colours to the top of the mast
And for Greenland bore away, brave boys
And for Greenland bore away.

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

The captain stood on the quarter deck
The ice was in his eye
Overhaul, overhaul! Let your davit tackles fall
And get your boats to sea, brave boys
And get your boats to sea

Well the harpoon struck and the line ran down
The whale gave a flourish of her tail
She capsized our boat and we lost five men
And we never caught that whale, brave boys
And we never caught that whale.

On the loosing of that sperm whale fish
It grieved our captain sore
But the loosing of those five gallant men
Oh It grieved him ten times more, brave boys
Oh It grieves him ten times more

"Up anchor now" our captain cried
For the winter star do appear
It's time to leave this cold country
And for england we will steer brave boys
And for england we will steer

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