The Pogues - Greenland Whale Fisheries Demo

In eighteen hundred and forty-six
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 he 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
And she blows at every span.

The captain stood on the quarterdeck,
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.

The 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 that whale, brave boys,
And we did not catch that 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 bears 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.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• the
• pogues
• greenland
• whalefisheries
• demo
• 1983
• shane
• macgowan

[LinusHagne]

Sounds wonderful.. as always... Makes me wanna become a fisherman :) Cheers!

[ramonthe3rd]

Yeaaahhhh

theres a band called like this song. They are very good.

[73neil73]

18th march 1846 good day for a whale and the great music of the pogues

[alaricdogface]

This track was added onto a CD I bought in the '90s but it wasn't on the vinyl (USA distribution). Not the same though, I think it was a little more polished.

[blogward]

I remember recording this on a hired 4-track...we had to slow it down and tune Jem's banjo down so he could play along with it:)

[thefashionboy253]

a great and beautiful way to become a fisherman, you know,but a hard way , today more than never...

It is a job for freemen.

Jacques Brel said

"There is two kind of time,

the time wh's wait,

and the time who's hopes

There is two kind of people

those are live

and those are at sea...