The Wellerman
Pagina 507 • Engelstalige liederen
There was a ship that put to sea,
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea.
The wind blew up, her bow dipped down,
O blow, my bully boys, blow.
Soon may the Wellerman come,
And bring us sugar, tea and rum
One day, when the tonguin' is done,
We'll take our leave and go.
She had not been two weeks from shore
When down on her a right whale bore.
The captain called all hands and swore
He'd take that whale in tow.
Before the boat had hit the water,
The whale's tail came up and caught her.
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
When she dived down below.
No line was cut, no whale was freed;
The captain's mind was not of greed,
But he belonged to the Whaleman's creed
She took that ship in tow.
For forty days, or even more,
The line went slack, then tight once more.
All boats were lost, there were only four,
But still that whale did go.
As far as I've heard, the fight's still on;
The line's not cut and the whale's not gone.
The Wellerman makes his regular call
To encourage the captain, crew and all.