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Sad comes the news from o'er the sea:
They left their homes with happy hearts,
To fill our hearts with dread,
In health and spirits gay,
To tell us that the ones we loved,
And bid their friends a fond adieu,
Are numbered with the dead.
As they sailed out that day:
A husband dear, a loving son,
The pride and beauty of our land,
Or one we did adore,
Who knew no dread or fear,
Died on the bleak and northern floe,
None thinking as they left their homes,
Alas, we'll see no more,
That death was drawing near.
May God who does things for the best,
We pray to give relief
To mothers, wives and children
To bear this heavy grief;
And may they see a brighter land,
Most fervently we pray,
For these brave souls who lost their lives,
Upon that fatal day.
See more songs by Johnny Burke.
Notes from Haulin' Rope & Gaff: Songs And Poetry In The History Of The Newfoundland Seal Fishery by Shannon Ryan and Larry Small, p.93 (Breakwater Books Limited, St. John's, NL, 1978): "This Broadside is in all probability the work of Johnny Burke. It was copied from an original now in the possession of Mr. Herbert Cranford of St. John's, courtesy of Paul Mercer's Newfoundland Songs And Ballads In Print, 1842-1974." Ryan and Small further dedicated this composition to those "Who lost their lives in a blizzard at the ice March 31, 1914".
