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Sad comes the news from over the sea, from over the troubling main,
To fill the hearts of those they loved with sorrow and with pain,
With sorrow and with pain.
To fill the hearts of those they loved with sorrow and with pain.
Oh it's less than three short weeks today they left their native shore,
But all, alas, they never returned to see their friends no more,
To see their friends no more.
But all, alas, they never returned to see their friends no more.
The Greenland sailed the tenth of March, her crew in spirits gay
Stood brisk upon the barricade as she steamed out that day,
As she steamed out that day.
Stood brisk upon the barricade as she steamed out that day.
And with a crew of fine young men who left in spirits light,
Not thinking that they should pass off on that fearful cold March night,
On that fearful cold March night.
Not thinking that they should pass off on that fearful cold March night,
They struck the seals St. Patrick's day and then the work began,
With thirteen thousand hoist on board, seven thousand more did pan,
Seven thousand more did pan.
With thirteen thousand hoist on board, seven thousand more did pan.
On to the twenty-first of March, four watches less that day,
A blinding snow storm soon came on and they got cast away,
And they got cast away.
A blinding snow storm soon came on and they got cast away.
There's two young Quidi Vidi boys, there's Chillie and Court Down,
There's William Collins from Torbay, and two from St. John's town.
The others are from the northern bays, and six from Harbour Grace,
All on that wild and terrible night a fearful death did face.
All on that wild and terrible night a fearful death did face.
But may the great Almighty God their troubles soon make light,
And ease the broken hearts of those who lost their friends that night,
Who lost their friends that night.
And ease the broken hearts of those who lost their friends that night.
Sung by Jim Rice (1879-1958) of Cape Broyle, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA). A variant was also collected from Jim Rice by Ken Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 3, pp.926-927, by The National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.
Published in Gerald S. Doyle's Old-Time Songs And Poetry Of Newfoundland: Songs Of The People From The Days Of Our Forefathers (Second edition, pp.40-41, 1940).
Note: The Greenland, was built in Ireland in 1872. On March 21, 1898, her crew was stranded on the ice while sealing and perished.
