Tour Scotland Video Whaling Song Auchtermuchty

Tour Scotland video of an old whaling song being sung at the Traditional Music Festival in Auchtermuchty, Fife, Scotland. Jock Duncan is one of Scotland’s great traditional singers. A farm worker from the North East, Jock Duncan is a singer of the muckle sangs and bothy ballads of his native Aberdeenshire.

Oh for Greenland we are bound,
To leave our homes behind,
With timbers firm and hearts so warm,
Oh we sail before the wind, the wind,
We sail before the wind.

A blowing breeze came from the south,
Oor sails all seemed asleep,
Oh three cheers more, we clear the shore,
We float upon the deep, the deep,
We float upon the deep.

We leave our sweethearts and our wives,
All weeping on the pier,
"Cheer up my dears we'll soon return,
Oh it's only half a year, a year,
It's only half a year."

With tarry dress we'll reach Stromness,
And there we'll go ashore,
With water,s less and landsmen scarce,
It's there we'll take on more, on more,
It's there we'll take on more.

When at last we reach the ice,
It's there we'll crowd all sail,
With boats we'll man with a very strong band,
For to pursue that whale, that whale,
For to pursue that whale.

Now dark and dreary grows the nights,
The stars begin to burn,
Oor valiant crew with hearts so true,
Full ship we do return, return,
Full ship we do return.

And when we're past the Orkney Isles,
The pilot boat draws near,
We see our sweethearts and our wives,
All waiting on the pier, the pier,
All waiting on the pier.

And when our ship is safely moored,
It's there we get ashore,
With plenty of brass and bonnie lass,
We'll mak yon taverns roar, roar, roar,
We'll make yon taverns roar.

We'll drink a toast to Greenland's frost,
And them we love sae dear,
But back again too it again,
We'll take a trip next year, next year,
We'll take a trip next year

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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