Among the hundreds of artists he's worked with include Phil Ochs, Tim Buckley, Haruomi Hosono, The Byrds, Rufus Wainwright, Harry Nilsson, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, U2, Joanna Newsom, Inara George, Keith Moon, Frank Zappa, Harpers Bizarre, Little Feat, Ringo Starr, Silverchair, and Skrillex.
In addition to producing, Parks has released seven studio albums of his own recordings: Song Cycle, Discover America, Clang of the Yankee Reaper, Jump!, Tokyo Rose, Songs Cycled, and with Brian Wilson, Orange Crate Art. He has also released a live album, Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove. His first official release was the 1966 single Number Nine, a modernized version of Beethoven's 9th backed with Do What You Wanta.
Parks has also established himself in film scores, and over the years has directed, arranged, produced, and composed soundtracks for a great number of motion pictures and television shows.
During his childhood, Parks became extremely fond of old-style American music, most notably the sounds of Tin Pan Alley. This interest in Depression-era songwriting would correlate heavily with his artistic goals and interests during the 1960s and beyond. He was also deeply affected by musicians Spike Jones and Les Paul, which led him to develop an interest with studio experimentation in the form of pop music.
Greenland Whale Fisheries
Van Dyke Parks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twas march the eighteenth day,
We hoisted our colors to the top of the mast
And for Greenland boor away, brave boys,
And for Greenland boor away
The lookout in the crosstrees stood
With a spyglass in his hand;
A whalefish he cried
And she blows at every span, brave boys
And she blows at every span.
Now the boats were launched and the men aboard,
And the whale was full in view.
Resolved it was each seaman bold
To steer it where the whalefish blew, brave boys
To steer it where the whalefish blew.
We stuck that whale and the line played out,
And the whale made a flounder with her tail,
The boat capsized and we lost a gallant crew,
And we never caught that whale, brave boys,
And we never caught that whale.
To lose those men, our captain said,
It grieves my heart full sore,
But lose the sale of a hundred barrel whale
Well it grieves me ten times more, brave boys
Well it grieves me ten times more
Now Greenland is a dreadful place
A place that’s never green
Where theres ice and snow, and the whalefishes blow
And the daylights seldom seen brave boys
And the daylights seldom seen.
The song "Greenland Whale Fisheries" by Van Dyke Parks is an old folk song about a whaling expedition to Greenland in 1846. The lyrics describe the preparations of the sailors as they set off for Greenland, the sighting of a whale, and the tragic loss of some of the crew during the attempt to catch the whale. Finally, the captain laments the loss of the men but also regrets the loss of the whale that could have provided them with hundreds of barrels of oil.
The song captures the dangerous, unpredictable nature of whaling expeditions in the 19th century, where men risked their lives to catch the valuable whales that provided oil for lighting and lubrication. The lyrics speak to the bravery and determination of the sailors, who were willing to risk their lives to catch a whale, knowing full well that the pursuit could end in tragedy.
One interesting fact about the song is that it has been covered by a number of famous artists, including The Kingston Trio, The Chieftains, and Grateful Dead. Another interesting fact is that the whaling industry was a major source of wealth for countries like Norway, Japan, and the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries, despite the risks and ethical concerns associated with the practice. Finally, some scholars have argued that the song is a critique of the whaling industry, highlighting the greed and callousness of the captain who prioritizes the sale of the whale over the lives of his crew.
Chords: The chords for "Greenland Whale Fisheries" are not known but it typically involves a guitar or banjo and is played in the key of G.
Line by Line Meaning
In eighteen hundred and forty-six
In the year 1846
Twas march the eighteenth day,
It was March 18th
We hoisted our colors to the top of the mast
We raised our flag to the highest point on the ship
And for Greenland boor away, brave boys,
We set sail for Greenland with courage, my friends,
The lookout in the crosstrees stood
The person searching for danger stood on the uppermost part of the ship
With a spyglass in his hand;
Holding a telescope;
Theres a whale, theres a whale,
There is a whale, there is a whale,
A whalefish he cried
The lookout shouted that a whale was spotted
And she blows at every span, brave boys
And it sprays water from its blowhole repeatedly, my courageous friends,
Now the boats were launched and the men aboard,
Now, we put the boats to our sea and got the crews on board
And the whale was full in view.
And we could see the whale properly
Resolved it was each seaman bold
Each brave sailor decided
To steer it where the whalefish blew, brave boys
To go where the whale was, my brave friends,
We stuck that whale and the line played out,
We caught the whale with our harpoon and let the line run
And the whale made a flounder with her tail,
The whale struggled and hit the water with its tail
The boat capsized and we lost a gallant crew,
The boat flipped, and we lost some brave sailors
And we never caught that whale, brave boys,
And we never got to keep that whale, my brave friends,
To lose those men, our captain said,
Our captain said about losing those men,
It grieves my heart full sore,
It pains me terribly
But lose the sale of a hundred barrel whale
But losing a hundred barrels of oil from that whale
Well it grieves me ten times more, brave boys
It pains me ten times more, my brave friends
Now Greenland is a dreadful place
Greenland is a feared location
A place that’s never green
It is not as green as other places
Where theres ice and snow, and the whalefishes blow
Where there is ice and snow, and the whales spray water from their blowholes
And the daylights seldom seen brave boys
And daylight is not seen often, my brave friends,
And the daylights seldom seen.
And daylight is not seen often.
Contributed by Caden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.