CHORUS: My soul has been torn from me and I am bleeding
My heart it has been rent and I am crying
For the beauty around me pales and I am screaming
I am the last of the Great Whales and I am dying.
Last night I heard the cry of my last companion
The roar of the harpoon gun, then I was alone
I reflected on days gone by when we were thousands
For I know I soon must die the last leviathan.
This morning the sun did rise crimson in the north sky
The ice was the colour of blood and the wind did sigh
I rose to take a breath it was my last one
From the gun came the roar of death and now I am gone
And e'er since time began we have been haunted
Through the oceans that were our home we have been hunted
From Eskimos in canoes to mighty whalers
Still you ignored our plea none came to save us
Now that we're no more, there's no more hunting
The big feller is now gone there's no use lamenting
What race is next in line all for the slaughter?
The elephant or the seal or your sons and daughters?
My heart it has been rent and I am crying
For the beauty around me pales and I am screaming
I am the last of the Great Whales and I am dying.
Last night I heard the cry of my last companion
The roar of the harpoon gun, then I was alone
I reflected on days gone by when we were thousands
For I know I soon must die the last leviathan.
This morning the sun did rise crimson in the north sky
The ice was the colour of blood and the wind did sigh
I rose to take a breath it was my last one
From the gun came the roar of death and now I am gone
And e'er since time began we have been haunted
Through the oceans that were our home we have been hunted
From Eskimos in canoes to mighty whalers
Still you ignored our plea none came to save us
Now that we're no more, there's no more hunting
The big feller is now gone there's no use lamenting
What race is next in line all for the slaughter?
The elephant or the seal or your sons and daughters?
inviata da Pluck - 12/3/2025 - 22:03
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The Last of the Great Whales - Andy Barnes - 1983
The Mudcat Cafe'
Subject: Lyr Add: THE LAST OF THE GREAT WHALES (A. Barnes)
From: GUEST,Andy Barnes
Date: 06 Oct 02
"The Last Of The Great Whales / The Last Leviathan" is an anti-whaling English folk song which has been recorded by Sheena Wellington, Archie Fisher & Garnet Rogers, Louis Killen, Danny Spooner, Maz O'Connor, Melanie Harrold, Fraser Bruce, and David Carroll.[8]
Andy Barnes has not spoken on record about what prompted the writing of this song, though it is thought to have been inspired by Scott McVay's 1966 article in Scientific American.
Being a well-documented song publicised by Mudcat, and Mainly Norfolk, the song was recorded by Jon Boden and Oli Steadman for inclusion in their respective lists of daily folk songs "A Folk Song A Day" and "365 Days Of Folk". - en.wikipedia