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Until 1830, the whaling ships put out each spring from London, King's Lynn, Hull, Whitby, bound for the right-whale grounds of Greenland. This song is quite old, a form of it being published as a black-letter ballad before 1725 and was evidently popular in the nineteenth century, since Piits, Such, and Catnach each issued broadside versions, giving 1824 as the date of the incident described. Sharp published a version in which the date is 1861 - thirty years too late for Greenland whaling. - from the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, 1959
Last line of each verse is repeated as a chorus. We follow the Pogues version.
Greenland Whale Fisheries
by trad
Intro (once)
[G] In Eighteen hundred and [D] forty [G] six
on [C] March the Eighteenth [D] day
We [G] hoisted our colors to the [D] top of the [C] mast
[G] and for Greenland [D] sailed a- [G] way, brave boys
and for Greenland [D] sailed a-[G] way
The lookout in the crow’s nest stood
with his spyglass in his hand
“there’s a whale, there’s a whale
and a whale fish” he cried
“and she blows at every span, brave boys
and she blows at every span
The captain stood on the quarter deck
and the ice was in his eye
“Overhaul, overhaul, let your jib sheets fall
and you’ll put your boats to sea brave boys,
and you’ll put your boats to sea
The harpoon struck and the line played out
and with a single flourish of his tail
he capsized the boat and we lost five men
and we did not catch that whale, brave boys
and we did not catch that whale
Break
The losing of them five jolly men
it grieved the captain sore
but the losing of that fine whale fish
how it grieved him ten times more, brave boys
how it grieved him ten times more
Now, Greenland is a barren land
a land that bears no green
but theres ice and theres snow
and the whale fishes blow
and the tail is seldom seen brave boys
and the tail is seldom seen.
Break
[G] In Eighteen hundred and [D] forty [G] six
on [C] March the Eighteenth [D] day
We [G] hoisted our colors to the [D] top of the [C] mast
[G] and for Greenland [D] sailed a- [G] way, brave boys
and for Greenland [D] sailed a-[G] way
The lookout in the crow’s nest stood
with his spyglass in his hand
“there’s a whale, there’s a whale
and a whale fish” he cried
“and she blows at every span, brave boys
and she blows at every span
The captain stood on the quarter deck
and the ice was in his eye
“Overhaul, overhaul, let your jib sheets fall
and you’ll put your boats to sea brave boys,
and you’ll put your boats to sea
The harpoon struck and the line played out
and with a single flourish of his tail
he capsized the boat and we lost five men
and we did not catch that whale, brave boys
and we did not catch that whale
Break
The losing of them five jolly men
it grieved the captain sore
but the losing of that fine whale fish
how it grieved him ten times more, brave boys
how it grieved him ten times more
Now, Greenland is a barren land
a land that bears no green
but theres ice and theres snow
and the whale fishes blow
and the tail is seldom seen brave boys
and the tail is seldom seen.
Break