farewell to tarwathie

judy collins' rendering of "farewell to tarwathie" still takes me back to the autumn of 1976 when her simple clear voice, backed by the voices of a pod of whales cut through the haze of music and whatever else in my first year at university. the song has an interesting history but it is her voice that somewhow raises this mournful song above that history and you will find yourself pleasantly revisited by it for some time to come. as have i.

farewell to tarwathie
adieu mormond hill
and the dear land of crimmond
i bid you farewell
i'm bound off for greenland
and ready to sail
in hopes to find riches
in hunting the whale

farewell to my comrades
for a while we must part
and likewise the dear lass
who first won my heart
the cold coast of greenland
my love will not chill
and the longer my absence
more loving she'll feel

our ship is well rigged
and she's ready to sail
the crew they are anxious
to follow the whale
where the icebergs do float
and the stormy winds blow
where the land and the ocean
is covered with snow

the cold coast of greenland
is barren and bare
no see time nor harvest
is ever known there
and the birds here sing sweetly
in mountain and dale
but there's no bird in greenland
to sing to the whale

there is no habitation
for a man to live there
and the king of that country
is the fierce greenland bear
and there'll be no temptation
to tarry long there
with our ship under full
we will homeward repair

farewell to tarwathie
adieu mormond hill
and the dear land of crimmond
i bid you farewell
i'm bound off for greenland
and ready to sail
in hopes to find riches
in hunting the whale.