Greenland Whale Fisheries
The Pogues Lyrics
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And of March the eighteenth day,
We hoisted our colors to the top of the mast
And for Greenland sailed away, brave boys,
And for Greenland sailed away.
The lookout in the crosstrees stood
With spyglass in his hand;
There's a whale, there's a whale,
And a 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 gibsheets fall,
And you'll put your boats to sea, brave boys
And you'll put your boats to sea.
Our harpoon struck and the line played out,
With a single flourish of his tail,
He capsized the boat and we lost five men,
And we did not catch the whale, brave boys,
And we did not catch the whale.
The losing of those five jolly men,
It grieved the captain sore,
But the losing of that fine whalefish
Now it grieved him ten times more, brave boys
Now it grieved him ten times more.
Oh Greenland is a barren land
A land that bares 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.
The Pogues' song "Greenland Whale Fisheries" tells the story of a whaling crew's journey to Greenland in the year 1846. The first verse sets the scene, as the crew hoists their colors and sets sail for the treacherous waters of Greenland. The lookout spots a whale and cries out to the crew, who rush to their boats to try and catch it. Unfortunately, the whale is too powerful and capsizes one of the boats, resulting in the loss of five crew members. Despite their failure to catch the whale, the captain is more upset about the loss of the whale itself than the loss of his crew.
The final verse reflects on the harsh and barren landscape of Greenland, where the sunshine is scarce and the only signs of life are the whalefishes that roam the waters. The song is a haunting tribute to the dangers and sacrifices of the whaling industry, as well as a commentary on the relentless quest for profit and wealth that drove many sailors to take such risky jobs.
Overall, "Greenland Whale Fisheries" is a powerful piece of storytelling that captures the hardships and tragedies of a bygone era. The Pogues' haunting music and Shane MacGowan's gruff vocals add to the sense of authenticity and emotion that the song conveys.
Line by Line Meaning
In eighteen hundred and forty-six
This song is about the year 1846.
And of March the eighteenth day,
The specific date in 1846 when the event described in the song took place is March 18th.
We hoisted our colors to the top of the mast
The sailors raised their flag to show their allegiance.
And for Greenland sailed away, brave boys,
The sailors set sail towards Greenland.
The lookout in the crosstrees stood
A sailor stationed high up was watching for whales.
With spyglass in his hand;
He was using a telescope to aid his search.
There's a whale, there's a whale,
The lookout spotted a whale.
And a whalefish he cried
He alerted the other sailors that a whale had been spotted.
And she blows at every span, brave boys
The whale was spouting water which made it easier to see.
The captain stood on the quarter deck,
The leader of the sailors was stationed on the back of the ship.
The ice was in his eye;
The captain was facing harsh icy winds, impacting his vision.
Overhaul, overhaul! Let your gibsheets fall,
The captain ordered the crew to set the sails to catch up with the whale.
And you'll put your boats to sea, brave boys
The sailors were instructed to launch their smaller boats to pursue the whale.
Our harpoon struck and the line played out,
The sailors successfully caught the whale by using a harpoon and quickly fed out the rope to tire the whale.
With a single flourish of his tail,
However, the whale was still strong enough to overturn the boat with a single flick of its tail.
He capsized the boat and we lost five men,
The sailors lost five of their comrades during this incident.
And we did not catch the whale, brave boys,
The sailors were unable to catch and kill the whale as they had planned.
The losing of those five jolly men,
The death of the five sailors was a great loss to the crew.
It grieved the captain sore,
The captain was deeply saddened by the loss of his men.
But the losing of that fine whalefish
However, the loss of the whale was a greater disappointment to him.
Now it grieved him ten times more, brave boys
The captain was ten times more upset about losing the whale than he had been about losing his men.
Oh Greenland is a barren land
This line describes Greenland as a desolate, uninhabited place.
A land that bares no green
Greenland is a place where there is no vegetation or plant life.
Where there's ice and snow, and the whalefishes blow
Greenland is covered in snow and ice, and whales swim in its waters.
And the daylight's seldom seen, brave boys
During certain seasons, the sun barely rises in Greenland and darkness dominates the day.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: TRADITIONAL, FRED HELLERMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind