Irish Song Lyrics 
from www.traditionalmusic.co.uk 
The Greenland Whale Fisheries 
In eighteen-hundred-and-seventy-four Of March the eighteenth day We hoisted our colors to the top of the mast And for Greenland bore away, brave boys And for Greenland bore away 
The lookout on the mainmast he stood His spyglass in his hand "There's a whale, there's a whale, there's a whalefish" he cried "And he blows at every span, brave boys And he blows at every span" 
The captain he stood on the quarter deck 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 put out The whale was full at view Resolved, resolved was each whalerman bold For to steer where the whalefish blew, brave boys For to steer where the whalefish blew 
The harpoon struck and the line paid out With a single flourish of his tail He capsized our boat and we lost five men And we did not catch that whale, brave boys And we did not catch that whale 
The losin' of them five jolly men It grieved out captain sore But the losin' of that sperm whale fish Oh, it grieved him ten times more, brave boys Oh, it grieved him ten times more 
"Up anchor now" our captain he cried "For the winter stars do appear And it's time we left this cold country And for the homeland we did steer, brave boys And for the homeland we did steer" 
Well, Greenland is a barren land A land that bears no green Where there's ice and snow and the whalefishes blow And the daylight's seldom seen, brave boys And the daylight's seldom seen