A-Whalin'
words and music by Roy Zimmerman
© 1993 Watunes
(From "Folk Heroes" [Metaphor] and "The Best of the Foremen"

(Spoken)
Ever since man could float, brave and rugged individuals have responded to the call of the sea... to hunt the huge, venerable and might smart mammals known as whales. To this day, stalwart sailors across the vast Pacific carry on this bold tradition. And as they do, they sing. (Well, no, they don't.)

(Sung)
A-whalin' whalin' we go
A-whalin' whalin' we go
Look lively, brother, our fortune doth blow
From the briny below

We lusted for fortune upon the high seas
To join the brave whalers in their reveries
So we went to college and got our degrees
In whalin' a-whalin'

Our fathers were whalers from their stern to bow
Who chucked their harpoons from a plank on the prow
But we use a state-of-the-art, computer-automated, gyro-guided, heat-seeking spear chucker now
Whalin' whalin' oh, wow!

A-whalin' whalin' we go
A-whalin' whalin' we go
Look lively, brother, our fortune doth blow
From the briny below

The wind is a-risin' in our sails today
We'll take what we need and throw three tons away
'Cause women need perfume and I need to kill
Whalin' a-whalin'

We'll chase the great humpback across storm and swell
We'll split its sides open and breathe in the smell
And chew on the blubber until we're not well
Whalin' whalin' like hell!

A-whalin' whalin' we go
(Ever eat blubber?)
A-whalin' whalin' we go
(It's good.)
Look lively, brother, our fortune doth blow
From the briny below
(Tastes like chicken.)

I dreamed that I butchered 'bout 500 whales
I poked out their eyeballs and I bit off their tails
Then I wallowed around in their bloody entrails
Whalin' a-whalin'

It's guts and it's guts and it's guts and it's guts
It's guts and it's guts and it's guts, guts and guts
It's guts, guts, guts, guts, guts, guts and you know whats?
(Guts?)
(Right.)
Whalin' a-whalin'

We'll wipe out the whales in a couple short years
And then we'll start killing Greenpeace volunteers
And then we'll pursue our artistic careers
Steady now, matey, yo ho
For it's a-whalin' whalin' we go!