Digital Tradition Mirror

With the Antarctic Fleet

With the Antarctic Fleet
(Harry Robertson)

I went down south a while ago
 To the land of ice and snow
And 20 pound a month for that
 Was all I had to show
They fed me on some pork and beans
 Stewed up in a pan
I wished that I was back at home
 In dear old Glasgow town

cho:  Hey Oh Whale O
      With the Antarctic fleet
     I got a drip upon me nose
     And I'm frozen in me feet

South Georgia is an island
 It is a whaling base
And only men who hunt for whales
 Would live in such a place
There's little entertainment there
 Unless you drink home brew
And then we'd have some singin'
 We'd have some fightin' , too

Our gunner came from Norway
 Like many of our crew
While other spoke with gentle brogues
 Like Scotsmen often do
But when the ship was closin' in
 To make the bloody kill
The Scots and the Norwegians worked
 Together with a will

We sailed into the Weddell Sea
 Where big blues can be found
We spent some time a huntin' whales
 We chased them round and round
And when the whales grew tired
 And they stopped to take a breath
Our gunners shot harpoons in them
 'Til they lay still in death

It's twenty years since I was there
 I won't go back again
I didn't like the climate but
 I liked the whalin' men
But now even on a sunny day
 When I'm walkin' down the street
I've got a drip upon me nose
 And I've still got frozen feet

note: imperfectly remembered from performances by Schooner's Crew
       David Lovine, Pat Thompson, Tony Latimer
Harry Robertson is the author of a book, "Of Whales and Men"
SGL
APR99

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!

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