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

Traditional sea shanty, group of male voices, rhythmic stomps and claps, raw and unpolished, deep bass vocals, high ener