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Ye landsmen and ye seamen bold, it's on you I will call,
The cruel murders on the deep would make your blood run cold,
Concerning the ship Caroline across from Boston bound,
When human blood had stained her deck with slaughter all around.
Our captain's name being John Dwyer, as you may understand,
And sixteen noble seamen he had at his command,
Leaving the port of Queenstown in the month of last July,
But little did they ever think that in the deep they would lie.
Our captain shipped in Queenstown, John Cutter as first mate,
He being a wild and foolish youth, I'm sorry for to relate;
He being a wild and foolish youth as you may plainly see,
When he murdered four and died himself in that late massacre.
We cruised the seas for eleven days in joy and merriment,
From that up to the fourteenth there arose an argument,
Between our captain and first mate down in our cabin room,
By it our captain lost his life and met a watery doom.
From that up to the twenty-first all things they did go right,
When down below John Cutter goes, most cruel was the sight;
And with a heavy weapon struck our captain on the head,
His blood and brains the cabin stained as he lay on his bed.
Then up on deck John Cutter went and met the second mate,
He struck him with a marlinspike, most cruel to relate;
He plunged his body in the deep to sink beneath the waves,
Far from his friends and native home lies in an ocean grave.
John Cutter fought another round, he swore all hands he'd slay,
He shot our Russian passenger, he wounded him severe;
And as he lay upon the deck, all dying in his gore,
He swore he'd send us all to hell and set the ship on fire.
And next it was agreed upon John Cutter to surround,
To take him home a prisoner, in irons have him bound;
But as we gathered 'round him the next was seen to fall,
It was our gallant carpenter all by a pistol ball.
And now there are four men lies dead, most wonderful to tell,
Till with an axe he got a blow and on the deck he fell;
The sailors bound him to a boat while bleeding from his wounds,
John Cutter he died mad, raving all in the afternoon.
Here's adieu to friends and parents that's left behind to mourn,
Likewise our captain, John Dwyer, left wife and child at home;
Come all good Christians far and near, I hope that you will pray,
For those brave youths that lost their lives in that late massacre.
Collected in 1951 from Frank Knox of St. Shott's, 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 in 1951 from Pat Curtis of Trepassey, NL, and published as John Carter/Cutter in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).
