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Oh, ye landsmen who live on the shore, how can you understand
The perils of the ocean when you are safe on land?
There's many brave young sailor lads for adventure far do roam,
Give up the struggle for their lives far from their native home.
The wind it blew a hurricane, the worst one of the year,
The John Harvey sailed from Gloucester for the island of St. Pierre
With a load of general cargo when loud the winds did roar,
And on the tenth of January our vessel went ashore.
Our skipper he gave orders the vessel to dismast,
The boats were frozen to her deck, the sea swept fore and aft;
Said Captain Kearley to his men, "My b'ys it is no use,
I fear that we are doomed to die on the shores of Gabarus."
Then young John Keeping a line he took and tied it around his waist,
Said he, "We'll swim for the nearest shore the icy foam to face."
Oh, bitterly cold was that winter's night when the sea rose mountains high,
All tossed and battered by the wind was that brave Belleoram b'y.
The wind it blew a hurricane, the night was bitterly cold,
It would chill the heart of a sailor lad, a hero young and bold,
All tossed and battered by the wind when at last the shore did reach,
And with his badly frozen hands made a line fast to the beach.
The crew of the Harvey got ashore, there were six of them all told,
The loss of the John Harvey and a Keeping b'y so bold,
But Keeping and his brave young Foote, by exhaustion overcome,
Died on the shores of Gabarus far from their native home.
The survivors walked to some fishing shacks that stood upon the shore,
Much hampered by their heavy boots and the oilskins that they wore;
They had no match to light a fire, how awful was their plight
As they struggled for existence on that cold and wintry night.
Help soon came from Gabarus, to them the tale was told
Of the loss of the John Harvey and a Keeping b'y so bold;
God's blessing rest upon them, they did all they could do
To comfort and aid the survivors of the Harvey's shipwrecked crew.
Captain Kearley and his hardy b'ys formed a sad disheartened band,
With the bodies of those comrades went back to Newfoundland;
As they followed the casket to the train the tears fell from their eyes
When they thought of the noble actions of those brave Belleoram b'ys.
Good people of Belleoram with you I'll sympathize,
Don't fret nor mourn for those brave b'ys for heaven was their prize;
And all ye brave young sailor lads think of those noble youths
Who died far away from their native home on the shores of Gabarus.
