In eighteen hundred forty four, on March the eighteenth day A whaling ship, her anchor she weighed 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 a whale fish, he cried And she blows at every span, brave boys And she blows at every span
The captain he stood on the quarterdeck The ice was in his eye Overhaul, overhaul, let your jib sheets fall And go put your boats to sea, brave boys And go put your boats to sea
The boats were lowered and the men aboard, The whale was full in view Resolved, resolved were these whalermen bold For to steer where the whale fish blew, brave boys For to steer where the whale fish blew
The harpoon struck, and the line played out, With a single flourish of its tail She capsized our boat, and we lost five men, And we didn't catch that whale, brave boys And we didn't catch the whale
The losing of those five jolly men, It grieved our captain sore, But the losing of that sperm whalefish, Oh, it grieved him ten times more, brave boys, Now it grieved him ten times more.
Up anchor now, the captain, he cried For the winter stars do appear And it's time that we've left this cold country And for England we will steer, brave boys And for England we will steer
For Greenland is a barren land A land that bares no green Where there's ice, there's snow and the whale fishes blow And the daylight's seldom seen, brave boys And the daylight's seldom seen