Traditional Ballad
A whaling song often sung in bothies.
Fareweel tae Tarwathie, adieu Mormond Hill
And the dear land o Crimmond I bid thee fareweel.
I am bound now for Greenland and ready to sail
In the hopes I'll find riches a-hunting the whale.
Fareweel tae my comrades for a while we must pairt
Aye and likewise the dear lass that fair won my hairt.
The cauld coast o Greenland my love willnae chill
And the langer my absence mair lovin I'll feel.
Oor ship is weel rigged and ready to sail
And oor crew are anxious tae follow the whale;
Where the icebergs do float and the stormy winds blaw
Where the land and the ocean are covered wi snaw.
He cauld coast o Greenland is barren and bare
Nae seed-time nor harvest is ever known there.
The birds here sing sweetly on mountain and dale
But there isnae a birdie tae sing tae the whale.
There is nae habitation for man tae live there
And the king o that country is the fierce Greenland bear.
There will be nae temptation tae tarry lang there
And wi oor ship bumper fu we will hameward repair.