Craic Agus Ceol - Flense The Blubber Off The Carcass

 The Irish group Craic Agus Ceol has an affinity for sea shanties of their own devising. Traditional in form somewhat, but totally original. Their shanty Flense The Blubber Off The Carcass deals more with the aftermath of catching a whale, mainly reducing the carcass to whale oil a very valuable commodity in the 19th century. The blubber would be flensed, cut off, the carcass and boiled in water in great pots on the  deck. A dangerous job in itself, as open fired on the wooden deck was a hazard, as well as the oil itself which was highly flammable. 

The literature states that the average number of barrels (which were between 35-45 gallons) was 45. The price of a gallon of whale oil was between $2.50 to .50 in 1850, so a barrel could be worth as much as $120, depending on what kind of whale it came from, as the quality was different. Some sources give the range of 2,500 to 3,500 barrels of oil accumulated on a whaling voyage, so it could be highly lucrative, mainly for the owner vessel, but the crew made decent money for the times as well. 

But  they earned what money they made. A long voyage (up to 3 years) on board a ship with cramped, overcrowded, unsanitary quarters led to disease and death. Sailing ships expected the crews to climb the masts, straddle the spars for sail work, which saw death from falls. And then there was the prey themselves. Smaller boats would be dispatched from the main ship with a few men to harpoon the whales. Boas were overturned, and a harpooned whale didn't die immediately. They would become vicious and kill any sailors that fell overboard. 

The oil was used for illumination and lubrication, and before oil from wells came about, whale oil was one of the best choices for both uses. Whale oil burned bright in lamps and didn't smoke as bad, or smell as bad either, although it did have a slight fishy smell. Once oil from wells was refined and kerosene derived from it, the demand for whale oil dropped, as those products were considerably cheaper. But whaling didn't stop altogether, and still goes on to this day in a very limited industry. The oil is used for cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry, but there are more and more substitutes being used. 

I sailed on whaler ships for many years 

I be a lucky one what lived to tell 

Meself I went out to sea twenty times 

A whalers life be a livin' hell! 

 

Longest voyage I was on be 4 years 

With lots of idle time do nothing seein' 

But then renderin' blubber be the worse 

Rotten stink, lot of hard work there bein' 

 

 Flense the blubber off the carcass, me lads! 

The Cap'n would holler at the sailors 

Git off all yer lazy arses! he cried

 An easy life it's not fer you whalers! 

 

The green hands be sick all over the deck 

When they first got a whiff the great stink! 

Renderin' blubber is a rotten job 

But it were a job ya couldn't shrink! 

 

Got the blubber all down to the oil 

Then we dip all it inta the casks 

Stink like rotten fish make some the men wretch 

Nothin' they could do to try and mask 

 

Flense the blubber off the carcass, me lads! 

The Cap'n would holler at the sailors 

Git off all yer lazy arses! he cried 

An easy life it's not fer you whalers! 

 

We kept on renderin' 'til we were done 

No time fer rest or lolligaggin' 

Had to get all the carcass all boiled doon 

Throw what's left overboard, while we're gaggin' 

 

 We always saved whale teeth and some bone 

Had buckets full of all the leavin's 

Some the men would use the teeth to carve 

Some pictures of our life while we're whalin' 

 

 Flense the blubber off the carcass, me lads! 

The Cap'n would holler at the sailors 

Git off all yer lazy arses! he cried 

An easy life it's not fer you whalers! 

 

The best voyage, we come back loaded down 

Wi' barrel upon barrel of whale oil 

All over ship, on deck to the gunnels 

No room fer anymore, had enough 

 

I went back out to sea a few more times 

But I were smart and saved all me money

 I quit the sea, took years to rid the stink 

Built a house, an' got meself a honey 

 

 No more flense the blubber off the carcass

 No Cap'n to holler at no sailor 

Finish out me days as a land lubber 

Ne'er missed me life as a whaler!