| I long to go a' whalin'
Lo, there's whalin' in my blood
My father was a whaler
Bravely sailed through many a flood
My father's father's a legend
For his treks through Arctic seas
But my wife won't let me go
I've got to boil the carrots and peas For it's ho, hi, ho
Seems a' whalin' I won't go
Yeah, it's ho, hi, ho
I hear my mates a yellin' heave ho
But there's no way I can join 'em
For the trip to Labrador
'Cause the garden needs a' weedin'
And I've got to mop the floor When I was a single man
I traveled far and wide
Relyin' only on the faith
Of my mates by my side
We headed out to Iceland
Where the sun would never set
Now I can't sleep beyond the dawn
Got to cook the breakfast yet Let this serve as a lesson
To you laddies pullin' the oars
You see a charmin' lassie
And you want to make her yours
But your whalin' will be endin'
On the day that you are wed
You'll have to make your choice, my friends,
The sea or the marriage bed I'm livin' the domestic life
My whalin's gone for good
I long to cruise the ocean again
Alas, if ever I could
I only see the fishes
When they're fryin' in the pan
And I only feel the water's foam
As I'm cleanin' the pots by hand |