Oh our schooner and our sloop in Ferryland they do lie.
They are already rigged to be bound for the ice,
All you lads of the Southern we will have you be aware
She is going to the ice in the spring of the year.
Laddie whack fall the laddie, laddie whack fall the day.
We had vittles for to last more than two months at the least,
And plenty of good rum, boys, stowed away in our chest,
We will give her a rally for to praise all our fency,
All our seals will be collected by the William and the Nancy.
Our course be east-north-east two days and two nights,
Out captain he cried out, "Boys, look ahead for the ice!"
And we hove her about standing in for the land,
And 'twas in a few hours we were firm in the jam.
Oh our captain he cried out, "Come on, boys, and bear a'hand.
Our cook he gets the breakfast and each man takes a dram,
With their bats in their hands it was earlye to go,
Every man showed his action 'thout the missing of a blow.
Some were killing some were scalping, some were hauling on board
And some more they were firing and a-missing of their loads.
In the dusk of the evening all hands in from the cold,
And we counted nine hundred fine scalps in the hold.
Oh now we are loaded and our schooner she is sound,
And the ice it is open and to Ferryland we're bound,
We all gave her a rally for to praise all our fancy,
Our seals they were collected by the William and the Nancy.
We are now off Cape Spear and in sight of Cape Broyle,
We will dance, sing, carouse, my boys, in just a little while,
We will soon enjoy the charms of our sweethearts and friends
For it will not be long before we're down to the bend.
They are already rigged to be bound for the ice,
All you lads of the Southern we will have you be aware
She is going to the ice in the spring of the year.
Laddie whack fall the laddie, laddie whack fall the day.
We had vittles for to last more than two months at the least,
And plenty of good rum, boys, stowed away in our chest,
We will give her a rally for to praise all our fency,
All our seals will be collected by the William and the Nancy.
Our course be east-north-east two days and two nights,
Out captain he cried out, "Boys, look ahead for the ice!"
And we hove her about standing in for the land,
And 'twas in a few hours we were firm in the jam.
Oh our captain he cried out, "Come on, boys, and bear a'hand.
Our cook he gets the breakfast and each man takes a dram,
With their bats in their hands it was earlye to go,
Every man showed his action 'thout the missing of a blow.
Some were killing some were scalping, some were hauling on board
And some more they were firing and a-missing of their loads.
In the dusk of the evening all hands in from the cold,
And we counted nine hundred fine scalps in the hold.
Oh now we are loaded and our schooner she is sound,
And the ice it is open and to Ferryland we're bound,
We all gave her a rally for to praise all our fancy,
Our seals they were collected by the William and the Nancy.
We are now off Cape Spear and in sight of Cape Broyle,
We will dance, sing, carouse, my boys, in just a little while,
We will soon enjoy the charms of our sweethearts and friends
For it will not be long before we're down to the bend.
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Ferryland is a fishing village on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland settled as early as the 16th century.