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Ye landsmen that live on the land, Come listen to what I write
While ploughing on the raging main, I always took delight
You'll stay on shore with your pretty girls
Telling to them fine tales
But the hardest labor you ever done
Was plant and reap your fields
Twas the 8th day of November last, The heaviest gale came on
The skies above looked angry, And the clouds oercast the sun
The wind being South by East my boys
With heavy showers of hail
The night was as dark as a dungeon
It was on the lee shore she fell
Our captain he gave orders, His orders for to obey
He said you'd better go forward me boys, Your foresail to lower away
We tried to reef our mainsail
But that could not be done
It's under a three reef foresail me boys
Five lengths of a sea she run
Two hours in that condition, We had no means to stay
To see the seas come tumbling down, A wreck she continued to lay
Once more she slowly rises
Which caused all hands to say
God bless our little vessel
Once more she heads the sea
About two-o-clock in the morning, We received an awful shock
The vessel on her beam end lay, Three miles from Billows rock
We boarded the wreck in the morning
What a pitiful sight to behold
Three frozen seamen lashed to the pumps
While the rest in her cabin lay cold
They were hardy young fellows, As ever you would find
Like heros brave they fought the waves, Like British heros died
It is the Union from St. John's
Right well I know the mould
And every time I think on this
It makes my blood run cold
She is the Union from St. John's, Right well I know her name
And every night as I lay on my bed, I hear these young widows complain
But now they're gone God bless them
My boys your day is done
A widow may weep for her husband dear
While a mother a darling son