The Whale
The Beggars Lyrics

The Whale
Title of the song

They sailed from port one morning the (G) weather it was (Am)fair
The crew embarked on their journey on a pleasant day with favorable weather conditions

A gentle breeze it pushed them and (G) no one gave a (Am)care
The wind was blowing softly, nobody seemed concerned about the journey ahead

They sang and danced and (Am7) laughed that night and D opened up a (E) keg
The crew enjoyed their evening by singing, dancing, and drinking from a keg

They're (Am) out to catch the monster whale that (G) took the captain's (Am)
The main objective of the crew was to catch the humongous whale that had taken the captain's life

The Captain said 'a piece of gold for (G)him who sees me (Am)whale'
The captain offered a reward to the crew member who first spotted the whale

So bend your backs and row me boys I(G)know that we won′t (Am)fail
The captain urged the crew to put in effort and assured them that they would not fail in their mission to catch the whale

So bend your Backs and row me lads and take me to me whale. Tonite we'll sing and dance and tomorrow nite we'll sail. We'll sail into the harbour no prouder man ther′ll be;
The crew was instructed to row and steer towards the location of the whale. Upon capturing the creature, they would celebrate with singing and dancing. They would proudly return to the harbor with their conquest.

They saw the whale one morning the weather it Was fair the men were white as ghosts, The Captain didn′t care
One morning, the whale was spotted by the crew. The men were frightened and pale with fear, but the captain was indifferent.

I'll take this whale meself he cried the weak Can stay behind The strong can share My glory and tonicht they′ll share my.
The captain decided to capture the whale himself, leaving the weaker crew members behind. He intended to bask in the glory of the capture and share it with the strong members of the crew.

The whale it came so close it was bigger than The sky they lowered down the longboat and they heard the captain Cry
The whale approached very close to the boat, appearing to be larger than the sky. The crew lowered a smaller boat and heard the captain's voice.

The captain took his spear and he rammed it down it′s Throat the whale it gave a mournfull cry and tifted it's great tail a And brought it down a crushing their small boat like a gale (spoken)
The captain used a spear to attack the whale, causing it to make a sad noise and thrash its tail. The resulting waves capsized the smaller boat.

Now 100 years have passed since the Captain and his men went down to Spend their days in Davy Joneses′ den The whale it goes on living but Inside it bears a scar And if your ever neat that place a voice calls From afar
A century has passed since the captain and his crew perished, their fate unknown in the depths of the ocean. The whale survived, but bears a scar from the attack. At times, a mysterious voice can be heard near the location of the incident.

We'll show them all we captured the monster from the... Di Di Di Di Di Da Di Di
The crew wanted to prove to others that they had managed to catch the massive whale that had taken the captain's life.

Chorus twice, last line: We'll show them all we captured the monster from the sea
Reiteration of the crew's pride and accomplishment in capturing the legendary whale.

Produced as a single in 1972 when it reached the top five (It could have been on top in some charts) in the national charts.
Information about the song's popularity and release in 1972

My other enquiries with friends in working folk groups indicates That the song remains a (local, At least) standard with groups ranging from Folk to Rock - almost as much of a hardy perennial as Running Bear!
Additional information about the song's continued popularity with various musical genres.