Swiles of Newfoundland, The

DESCRIPTION: "Oh, the day we left St. John's, me b'ys, It was a very fine day! Our wives an' sweethearts on the quay Says they, ye'll understand." The singer complains about the bad conditions, but delights in killing "swiles [seals] in Newfoundland."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (England, Vikings of the Ice)
KEYWORDS: hunting hardtimes
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Ryan/Small-HaulinRopeAndGaff, p. 106, "The Swiles of Newfoundland" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: George Allan England, _Vikings of the Ice: Being the Log of a Tenderfoot on the Great Newfoundland Seal Hunt_ (also published as _The Greatest Hunt in the World_), Doubleday, 1924, pp. 128-129, "(no title)" (1 text)
Roud #V44610
NOTES [61 words]: "Pinnacle tea," mentioned near the end of this, is tea made with water made from melted sea ice or glacial ice -- fresh water, but sometimes a bit brackish and probably not very good-tasting; see G. M. Story, W. J. Kirwin, and J. D. A. Widdowson, editors, Dictionary of Newfoundland English, second edition with supplement, Breakwater Press, 1990, pp. 378-379.- RBW
Last updated in version 5.3
File: RySm106A

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography