Bonnie Ship the Diamond

Whaling ship sets sail

On a long, crappy voyage.

Not so bonnie, boys.

This is an old song about whale hunting in Greenland, though Dylan changed the lyrics radically when he and The Band test drove the song during the Basement Tapes sessions in 1967. The original lyrics, which you can see below, don't mention how the Diamond and a bunch of other ships became trapped in ice in the Melville Bay and that a bunch of sailors died. Dylan's takes the action south to Vera Cruz, but gets in all the negative stuff, or so it seems to me.

Original:

The Diamond is a ship, my lads For the Davis Strait we're bound The quay it is all garnished With bonnie lasses 'round Captain Thompson gives the order To sail the ocean wide Where the sun it never sets, my lads Nor darkness dims the sky For it's cheer up my lads Let your hearts never fail For the bonnie ship the Diamond Goes a-hunting for the whale Along the quay at Peterhead The lasses stand aroon Wi' their shawls all pulled around them And the saut tears runnin' doon Don't you weep, my bonnie wee lass Though you be left behind For the rose will grow on Greenland's ice Before we change our mind Here's a health to the Resolution Likewise the Eliza Swan Three cheers for the Battler of Montrose And the Diamond, ship of fame We wear the trousers o' the white The jackets o' the blue When we get back to Peterhead We'll hae sweethearts enou' It will be bright both day and night When the Greenland lads come hame Our ship full up with oil, my lads And money to our name We'll make the cradles for to rock And the blankets for to tear And every lass in Peterhead sing "Hushabye, my dear"

Dylan's with chords and some guesses by the transcriber, as not all the words are audible:

Am

          Am     C/g        D/f#
Well, the bonnie ship was a good old ship
          Am                      E
She was a-fishin' on a [leading chain]
    Am     /c            C/g
And me an' John oh was a long catch[-on?]
           D/f#        F   E     Am
It was the last of the ones I've seen
        Am          G       Am
So with sword and a rope in bay
                            E
Feel all that your heart be sailed
          Am     C/g      D/f#
When that bonnie ship the Diamond goes
Am      Em      Am
fishin' for the whales.
         Am                  D
Well, we feud all night, the cabin gauge,
         Am                E
It was a-more than feelin' bad
         Am                  D
And with all kind friends we watched in fear
         Am             Em   Am
It was a naught time we ever had.
        Am   D     Am
So it's rise up my lads
                      E
Let your hearts never fail
          Am     C/g      D/f#
When that bonnie ship the Diamond goes
F       E       Am
fishin' for the whales.
An' all day long at Vera Cruz
We sailed [all the likes] to bind
With no heavy moan, any hearts [of stone]
No aid was cried [tried?] for mine.
So it's cheer up my boys
Let your hearts never fail
When that bonnie ship the Diamond
Goes fishin' for the whales.
Well, now along Cape Fate, 'twas lit in red
All along cape Horn
And from Vera Cruz we sailed ahead
It was all in the time of storm.
So, it's cheer on up my boys
Let your hearts never fail
When that bonnie ship the Diamond

Goes fishin' for the whales.

Here's a typically Celtic-sounding version by the Corries.