Newfoundland

The sky was a bruise and the swell was high

Pull away, the tide is turning

We saw the storm in the morning sky

Down the banks of Newfoundland

We traded our sleep for a rusted knife

To lead a poor and a salty life.

The mate was a bully with a voice like glass

Pull away, the tide is turning

He’d watch the sand in the hour-pass

Down the banks of Newfoundland

He kicked the boy for a tangled line

And drank the rest of the Captain's wine.

The mainmast groaned like a dying soul

Pull away, the tide is turning

As we took a deep and a heavy roll

Down the banks of Newfoundland

The ice was thick on the iron rail

And the freezing rain turned into hail.

We caught a whale with a crooked fin

Pull away, the tide is turning

But the blubber was rancid and the oil was thin

Down the banks of Newfoundland

The harpoon snapped and the rowboat tipped

And the green-horn’s hand was nearly gripped.

The cabin boy cried for his mother's knee

Pull away, the tide is turning

While we fought the rage of the hungry sea

Down the banks of Newfoundland

We fed the fire with a broken crate

And cursed the day we met our fate.

But the wind died down and the stars came out

Pull away, the tide is turning

We gave the darkness a weary shout

Down the banks of Newfoundland

We saw the lights of the harbor pier

And we forgot the cold and we forgot the fear.

So take your silver and spend it fast

Pull away, the tide is turning

Before you’re lashed to a frozen mast

Down the banks of Newfoundland

For a sailor’s life is a heavy debt

And the more you work, the less you get