Thewhaling Ship Captain's Lover Ballad Dedicated My Gmother's Life
THE SHIP CAPTAIN’S LOVER (from my grandmother's life--her betrothed lost at sea on a whaling vessel in Norway 1890)
by Victoria Anderson-Throop
The winds blow free
And the winds blow cold
There never was a man so bold
As the man I loved who went to sea
The month he was to marry me
Times were hard
And times were tough
Winds were cold
North seas were rough
But a whaling man will fight for breath
Dare the sea , defy their death
He ordered his crew
“come follow me
Who fears to sail
Is cowardly”
“No, don’t leave me--
Please --I called”
He slapped me then
He was appalled
I had shamed him with my fear
I should have handed him his gear
And wished him well upon his way
Gone on like any other day
A woman’s place is by the shore
Nothing less and nothing more
She never begs and never cries
Unless her own beloved dies
While I waited on the shore
Fear seeped out of every pore
Days went by
And then a week
Tears were shed by brave and meek
Life was bitter, life was sour
A bell was sounded from the tower
For each beloved man
Now lost--
What a bitter
Deadly cost.
And , for me,
My life's in tatters.
Men don’t know the thing that matters--
I wish I had my man so sweet
Not my world
Thrown at my feet.
Oh darlin’ babe now in my arms
Don’t fall victim to wild charms
When the sea calls in your head
Stay at home-- die in your bed
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