[Verse 1]
'Twas in 1853
On June the thirteenth day
When a whalin' ship her anchor raised
And for Greenland sailed away (Brave boys)
And for Greenland sailed away

[Verse 2]
The lookout on the crosstree stood
With a spyglass in his hand
"There's a whale! There's a whale! There's a whale-fish!" he cried
"She blows at every span" (Brave boys)
"She blows at every span"

[Verse 3]
We struck that whale, and the line paid out
But she made a flounder with her tail
And the boat capsized, and four men were drowned
And wе never got that whale (Bravе boys)
We never got that whale

[Verse 4]
"To lose that whale" the captain cried
"It grieves me four times four
But to lose four of my gallant men
It grieves me ten times more (Brave boys)
It grieves me ten times more"
[Verse 5]
Oh, Greenland is a dreadful place
A land that's never green
Where there's ice and snow, where whale-fishes blow
And daylight seldom seen (Brave boys)
And daylight seldom seen

[Outro]
'Twas in 1853
On June the thirteenth day
When a whalin' ship her anchor raised
And for Greenland sailed away (Brave boys)
And for Greenland sailed away, hey
Sailed, sailed, away