Lyr Req: The Bonny Ship the Diamond

Subject: Lyrics for
From:
Date: 28 Nov 97 - 09:26 PM

Okay, someone has to know this song. Its really bugging me. The song is called "The Diamond", and the lady who does the Celtic music radio program here has been playing it almost every week. Its a really catchy tune, but I can't make out all the words.

Anyone heard it? I'm sure you have.

The chorus is the part I'm having problems with, but I'd like all the lyrics if possible.

It goes something like this:

"and the =something= in the diamond goes fishing for the whale."

I think the song is about a ship, unless I'm totally off, which wouldn't be surprising.

Thanks, everybody.

Jen

Subject: RE: Lyrics for
From: judy
Date: 29 Nov 97 - 02:39 AM

Look in the DT database for THE BONNY SHIP THE DIAMOND. Here is the first verse and chorus.

THE BONNY SHIP THE DIAMOND

The Diamond is a ship, my lads, for the Davis Strait she's bound,
And the quay it is all garnished with bonny lasses 'round;
Captain Thompson gives the order to sail the ocean wide,
Where the sun it never sets, my lads, no darkness dims the sky,

cho: So it's cheer up my lads, let your hearts never fail,
While the bonny ship, the Diamond, goes a-fishing for the whale.

judy

Subject: RE: Lyrics for
From: Barry
Date: 30 Nov 97 - 04:09 PM

The Diamond was a Scottish whaler out of Peterhead & fished for the Right Whale around the southwestern cost (Davis Straits) during the early 1820's, then moving further noth in the later 20's, into Baffin Bay. In 1830 she was fishing the northeastern part of Baffin Bay (Melville Bay, West Greenland) when she was locked in the ice along with near fifty other whalers from June to September. Exposure & starvation killed many of whalermen (over 1,000) that were set out on the ice. The Diamond, the Rattler & the Resolution were some of those lost. From A L Lloyd's, "Leviathan, Songs & Ballads Of The Whaling Trade" Barry

Subject: RE: Lyrics for
From: Jen
Date: 30 Nov 97 - 10:21 PM

Thanks! That clears up a lot.

Subject: The Diamond
From: Jim
Date: 26 Apr 99 - 09:34 AM

Song talks about whaling by Scot sailors inspired by Scotts hunting whales in the Davis Straits

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From:
Date: 26 Apr 99 - 10:17 AM

It's in DT

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Martin _Ryan
Date: 26 Apr 99 - 11:43 AM

Jim

Type "Bonny ship the diamond" in the Searcg box at the top right of the page. That should do it! I think there was a thread about its origins a long time ago - see if you can find it!

Regards

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Barry Finn
Date: 26 Apr 99 - 03:17 PM

I thought there was a thread on this some time ago too but couldn't find one. The Diamond fished out of Peterhead in the 1820' for the Right Whale off the west coast of Greenland up until 1830 when along with 50 other ships got caught in the ice in Melville Bay. 19 ships, including the Diamond, Resolution & the Rattler were crushed & over 1000 whalermen were living on the ice, many dying from exposure & starvation. From the sleeve notes of A.L.Lloyd's LP Leviathan. Barry

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Apr 99 - 03:52 PM

It's too bad the forum search is only working for the "subject" and "sender" search. Anybody remember the title of the thread that discussed this song? I didn't find it under "diamond." Jim, if you can't figure out how to find the lyrics using "search," do it the lazy way and click here.
Better do a search first the next time, though.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Art Thieme
Date: 26 Apr 99 - 11:32 PM

Weren't Peterhead guys goin' after sperm whales??

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Barry Finn
Date: 27 Apr 99 - 01:09 AM

Hi Art, though there were Sperm whales to be found in the Arctic & Greenland (& Antarctic) whaling grounds they were more common to the Pacific. With the coming of the steam whalers came the decline of the right whale by the 1880's in the Northern Alantic. Captain Gray of the Eclipse started the hunting of the bottlenose whale, in the North Alantic & Arctic while during the same time the Balaena was eyeing the fast finn whales which really were chased with the use of the new cannon. Happy Hunting, Barry

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Apr 99 - 01:12 AM

Barry, did you get taken in by an Art Thieme joke, or were you just trying to ignore it? (grin)
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Barry Finn
Date: 27 Apr 99 - 02:06 AM

Joe, once more I got taken in by the clever Art. I'm still so very innocent & naive & still to young to understand this mature & sophisticated kind of humor. Barry

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Night Owl
Date: 27 Apr 99 - 04:16 AM

Thanks for the giggles guys.......(and just when I was deciding that I didn't HAVE to read EVERY thread!!!!!)

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: JIM
Date: 27 Apr 99 - 01:33 PM

Thanks for the help found the song.

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From:
Date: 28 Apr 99 - 08:42 PM

I picked up an interesting little book in Scotland a couple of years ago - 'The Whale Hunters' by Robert Smith, about Scottish whalers. Little more than a hundred pages, but it mentions several songs like 'Lord Franklin', 'The Diamond' and 'The Balaena' and talks about the ships and their colourful captains. Also about seal-hunting. - Susanne

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Art Thieme
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 02:44 AM

Would you believe I just saw the Barry & Joe dialogue responses to my little joke. July 1, 2001
I was looking for the thread about the "Sahara forest" joke that Kat posted recently and I can't find it.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: paddymac
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 07:39 AM

All this talk about whales and whaling - there was a news story in the Gulf coast area over the weekend about a population of sperm whales that has apparently become established in the northern Gulf Of Mexico, off shore of the Mississippi River delta. Evidently a bit of a surprise to biologists, and a bit of a concern to shipping interests. Probably won't be long before somebody starts running "whale watching" excursions.

Subject: RE: The Diamond
From: Charley Noble
Date: 02 Jul 01 - 07:59 AM

Then there's that recent thread about the demise of traditional fresh-water whaling in the Great Lakes.