Greenland Bound
1. Once more for Greenland we are bound
To leave you all behind
Our blubber hooks are keen, and our ship is painted green
And we sail before the icy wind.
2. We left our sweethearts and our wives
They were weeping on the shore
"Fear not, my dear, I soon will return,
For it's only half a year."
3. With tarry dress, well, we reached Stromness
And we all went on shore
What with whalers being scarce and the water even less
Well, we had to take on more.
4. Well, when we came to the northern ice
We crowded on full sail
Each boat was manned by a keen and lively band
All for to hunt the whale.
5. Now dark and dreary grows the night
See the stars begin to dawn
With the chasing of the whale and the trying of the oil
Well, it seems we will not return.
6. Our six months being done, well we tied up again
And we all went on shore
What with plenty of brass and a bonny bonny lass
Well, we made those taverns roar!
7. To Greenland's frost we'll drink a toast
And to them we love so dear
And across the raging main to the whaling grounds again
We'll take a trip next year.
Note: from A.L. Lloyd. An inferior variant in Ord, Bothy Ballads JB
JB
Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!