Save the Whales Songtext
von Country Joe McDonald

McDonald

When my grandpa was a boy
He went down to the general store
Saw a picture book of a whale
Shooting its spout and flashin′ its tail.

Then he got a sailor's dream
′Bout cruisin' around on the salty sea
Joinin' up with a fishin′ crew
To go out and get him a whale or two.

Tell me what kind of men are these
Who sail upon the salty seas?
Up in the rigging in the afternoon
Swabbin′ the decks and sharpenin' harpoons.

Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Early in the morning.


There′re lots of whales in the deep blue sea,
We kill them for the company
We drag 'em ′longside and chop 'em in two
And melt ′em down and sell 'em to you

There hardly is a sailor alive
Who can keep the tears from his eyes
As he remembers the good old days
When there were no whales to save

Thank the Russians and Japanese
For scouring the deep blue seas
Looking for ivory and perfume
And plastic toys and pet food.

Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Early in the morning.

Shanghaied by the light of the moon
Put out from Boston in the middle of June
After six months out at sea
It's nothin′ but death and misery.


Set out on a three-year cruise
A union ship and a union crew
And after six months you begin to see
That whalin′s not what it used to be.

A modern ship and a modern crew
With sonar scopes and explodin' harpoons
A mechanical boat made outta steel
A floating machine built to kill the whales.

Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Early in the morning.

When my grandpa was a boy
He went down to the general store
Saw a picture book of a whale
Shooting its spout and flashin′ its tail.

Then he got a sailor's dream
′Bout cruisin' around on the salty sea
Joinin′ up with a fishin' crew
To go out and get him a whale or two.

Tell me what kind of men are these
Who sail upon the salty seas?
Up in the rigging in the afternoon
Swabbin' the decks and sharpenin′ harpoons.

Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Hooray and up she rises
Early in the morning.