Lyrics sung by Danny Spooner on "A Wench a Whale and a Pint of Good Ale" 1966

THE COAST OF PERU
(as sung by Danny Spooner)

Come all you young whalermen that’s rounded Cape Horn
Come all you bold sailors who follows the sperm
The captain has told us and we all believe it’s true
There’s plenty of sperm-whale on the Coast of Peru.   

’Twere early one morning just as the sun rose
A man in the mainmast sung out, “There she blows!”
“Wear away!” says the skipper, “And where do she lay?”
“Three points to the eastward, not a mile away!”

“Then lower yer boats, me boys, and after him travel
But if you gets too near his tail, he’ll kick yer to the devil
Lay on yer oars lads and let yer boats fly
But one thing we dread of, stay clear of his eye."

Our waist-boats went down, me boys, and we made a good start
“Lay on!” says the harpooneer, “For me arm's filled with darts!”
The harpoon it struck and the whale sped away
But one thing he done, me lads, he give us fair play.

He raced and he sounded and he stood on his fin
But we drawed him longside and we got our lance in
Which caused him to vomit and the blood for to spout
And inside ten minutes, lads, he’d rolled both fins out.

We had him turn over then and laid alongside
Then over with the blubber hooks to rob him of his hide
We began cutting in boys, and then trying out
And the mate in our main-chains, how loud he did shout.

Now we’re bound for Tumbes in our manly power
Where a man buys a whore-house for a barrel of tar
We’ll spend all our money on them pretty girls ashore
And when it’s all gone, me lads, go a-whaling for more.