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about
"Greenland Whale Fisheries is one of those folk songs that will take you to a completely different destination every time you look for it - I'm aware of at least four distinct (but still related) versions, and I'm sure you can find a good many more!
The Tribe's awareness of this version in particular came about when Jo and I were doing a "Pirates!" day at a school in East London. The story, the tune, the slight tinge of mutiny all come together to create an amazing number for a group of lads to get together and sing about whales (which the four Tribe lads don't need a great amount of encouraging to do, if we're being honest).
Our Tinkered-with version started life as a purely a capella 'sing your hearts out' kind of a thing (with our own harmonies, of course), but then Mark had a sleepless night or two thinking about how to expand it, and it became the mash of styles you can now hear! It's been one of our most popular live tracks, and we're very excited to bring it to you from the comfort of your own home.
- Jon Roskilly, November 2013
lyrics
They took us jolly sailor lads
A-fishing for a whale.
On the fourth day of August in 1864
Bound for Greenland we set sail.
The lookout stood on the cross-trees high
With a spyglass in his hand.
“There's a whale, there's a whale, there's a whale-fish,” he cried,
“And she blows at every span.”
The captain stood on the quarterdeck,
And a sod of a man was he.
“Overhaul, overhaul, let your davit tackles fall.”
And we'll launch them boats to sea.
We struck that whale and the line played out
But she gave a flurry with her tail.
And the boat capsized, we lost seven of our men,
And we never caught that whale.
Now the losing of seven fine seamen,
It grieved the captain sore.
But the losing of a bloody sperm whale
Oh, it grieved him ten times more.
credits
released November 4, 2013
Lyrics trad.
Arr. Tribe of Tinkers
Additional music M. Bowler / Tribe of Tinkers
Recorded at Soup Studios, London.
Additional recording at Bass Bin Studios, London.
Produced by Graham Crockford
Mixed by Graham Crockford at Bass Bin Studios, London.
Mark Bowler - guitar and vocals
Polly Bowler - cello
Hannah Dunster - flute
Joanne Gibson - tuba
Emma King - percussion
Ashton Mills - fiddle
Guy Passey - saxophone
Racheal Perrin - clarinet
Jon Roskilly - trombone
Whale artwork courtesy of The National Library of Norway.
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