't Was in eighteen hundred and fifty-three
And of June the thirteenth day
That our gallant ship her anchor weighed
And for Greenland bore away brave boys
And for Greenland bore away
The lookout on the cross-tree stood
With a spyglass in his hand; "There's a whale there's a whale
There's a whale fish" he cried
And she blows at every span brave boys
And she blows at every span
The captain stood on the quarterdeck
A fine little man was he: "Overhaul! Overhaul!
Let your davit-tackles fall!"
Launch your boats into the sea brave boys
Launch your boats into the sea
The boats where launched and the men were on board
The whale was in full view
Resolved was each seaman bold
To steer where the whale fish blew brave boys
To steer where the whale fish blew
We struck that whale and the line paid out
She gave a flourish with her tail
The boat capsized and four men were drowned
And we never caught that whale brave boys
And we never caught that whale
The losin' of those four jolly men
It grieved our captain sore
But oh to lose that sperm whale fish
Well it grieved him ten times more brave boys
Well it grieved him ten times more
Oh Greenland is a dreadful place
A land that's never green
Where there's ice and snow
And the whale fishes blow
And the daylight's seldom seen brave boys
And the daylight's seldom seen