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Call me the whale

  • Words Paul Kaplan / tune trad

    Call me the whale, for that's what I am
    And a whale I always will be
    You may call yourself king of the land
    I am the king of the sea, brave boys
    I'm the king of the sea

    I never meant to do you any harm, brave boys
    When I took you to the bottom with my tail
    I only meant to show you you should have been at home
    Instead of on the ocean chasing whales, brave boys
    Instead of on the ocean chasing whales

    But you didn't get the message, so more and more you came
    Till I ran out of places to hide
    And your boats got so big I couldn't take you down
    I knew then you had turned the tide, brave boys
    I knew then you had turned the tide

    You hunt me down with your factory ships
    And you never even touch me with your hands
    In the morning I'm playing with my babies in the waves
    In the evenings I'm packed into your cans, brave boys
    In the evenings I'm packed into your cans

    You have become so efficient with your instruments of death
    By now I'm barely alive
    But if you treat each other in the way you've treated me
    I think I am going to survive, brave boys
    I think I'm going to survive

    Repeat 1

    As sung by Iain MacKintosh


  • Verse not used:
    You came after me in your matchstick boats
    With your harpoons poised for the kill
    When I looked you in the eye I never saw you cry
    But I know I gave you a chill brave boys
    I know that I gave you a chill

Susannes Folksong-Notizen

  • [1989:] I was singing [The Greenland Whale Fisheries] in a club in New York one night. After the concert was over a young man came up, introduced himself to me - Paul Kaplan is his name. Paul sang me a song he'd written using the same story as the one I've just sung for you, and even more cleverly I think, using the same tune. When I heard Paul's song I realised that for all those years I had been singing the wrong song. (Intro Iain MacKintosh)

    Further notes see Greenland Whale Fisheries

Quelle: USA

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