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The Truxton Song
See also The Loss of the Truxton & Pollux and The Ballad of the Truxton & Pollux

Ye people of thee United States come listen to my song
Of what is true I will tell you it won't delay me long
Concerning of your destroyer that came to grief one day
About three miles West of St.Lawrence point in West Placentia Bay.
They shift their course for Newfoundland Argentia was their view
But little did they ever think their course was not so true
At five o'clock in the morning poor fellows came to grief
While in a blinding snowstorm their ship they struck a reef.
And when the daylight clear away twas little that they could do
Those steel bound cliffs of Chambers Cove stood right before their view
The water rolling over her decks their ship could not endure
Then one man from the Truxton with a rope he swam ashore.
And with his icy frozen hands he tied to a rock
And after serious climbing he landed on the top
He stood and gazed a little while some fishing shacks did see
He followed down a tiny footpath, which led him to victory.
He followed down along that path some help he hoped to find
And very shortly after that he sighted Seabirds Mines
He told to them a story and they were willing to hear it through
Would you lend a hand to this poor man to try and save the crew?
The news soon reached St.Lawrence town and quickly they did bring
Some strong hemp rope and dories for to try and save the men
We done our best in every way to save them from the sea
But one hundred ten of the Truxton men lost their lives that day.
But forty-two of that ships crew we nobly took on shore
We hauled them up that rugged cliff one-hundred feet or more
We took them into Seabirds mines and gave to them a rest
The women from St.Lawrence town for them they did their best
The women from St.Lawrence town who worked on those poor souls
Their medals should be nothing less then the brightest glittering gold
They rolled the water from the men and washed the oil away
And sent them home to their loved ones down in America.
The parish priest from our town I'm sure you did your part
And when the bad news reached his ears he was ready then to start
He had with him holy oil and a stole took before he left
And he gave them absolution arriving at the cliff.
Ye people from St.Lawrence town I'm sure you done your part
But not forgetting our own few boys who assisted from the start
We some forty men from Lawn and men from Corbin
And also men from Burin town who helped in the rescue.
Now if you want to know the man or who composed this song
His name is Gregory Edwards and his native home is Lawn
He did his best in every way to try and to save lives
His wife she left her children and worked on those men all night.
Now to conclude and finish there's one thing more I'll say
My deepest sympathy I'll extend to those love ones far away
Up to the time he wrote this song there were forty bodies got
And gently laid beneath the clay, it was called the strangers' plot.
I like to say a word or two concerning of the dead
And the broken hearted mothers who are lying in their beds
Those widows may mourn for their husbands and the mothers for their darling sons
But God he will reward us all for the noble work we done.

####.... Gregory Edwards ....####