Lyr Req: Olde Thomas Harpooners / Coast of Peru

Subject: Lyr Req: olde thomas harpooners
From:
Date: 13 Sep 05 - 04:00 PM

I have a cd of the Jolly Rogers (renaissance group from midwest area) which features a song they title "Olde Thomas Harpooners", but i can't find the lyrics anywhere.

It's a song about whaling off of the coast of Peru and going to Old Thomas after a haul.

It starts off with the words:

Come all you bold sailormen who rounded Cape Horn.
Come all you bold sailors who follow the whales.
For the captain has told us and we hope he says true,
that there are plently of sperm whales off the coast of Peru.

Do anyone know the lyrics to this song?? Please email me.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: olde thomas harpooners
From: curmudgeon
Date: 13 Sep 05 - 04:10 PM

This is very close to "The Coast of Peru" which can be found in Huntington's book, "Songs the Whalemen Sang," available from Camsco Music.

There are also versions here in the DT - Tom

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: olde thomas harpooners
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Sep 05 - 05:03 PM

I agree that it sounds like a version of the traditional "The Coast of Peru." Do you know how to search the Digital Tradition archives here at Mudcat? There's a little box that says "Lyrics and knowledge search" and if you want the lyrics you search the DT; if you want discussion of the song in the threads you search "The Forum."

Good luck,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: olde thomas harpooners
From: GUEST,Strytllr
Date: 13 Sep 05 - 06:14 PM

Thanks to both of you!!

Wow, that IS very close. But it seems, as is typical of Jolly Rogers, they've either changed a few of the verses again on me or pulled verses from another song.

Figures.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: olde thomas harpooners
From: Little Robyn
Date: 14 Sep 05 - 01:31 AM

There's also a song called New Zealand Whales that shares some of those words -

Come all of you whalemen who are cruising for sperm,
Come all of you seamen who have rounded Cape Horn;
For our Captain has told us and he says out of hand,
There's a thousand whales off the coast of New Zealand.

Same song, just 'folked' a little to suit the different locality.
Robyn