Page type: lyric reference
Artist: Great Big Sea
Canonical path: /great-big-sea/old-polina
Related lyric paths: 6
Lyric guide
Old Polina
Read Old Polina lyrics by Great Big Sea on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
Old Polina
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
There's a noble fleet of whalers, they're sailing from Dundee
Manned by British sailors that take them o'er the sea.
On a western ocean passage, we started on the trip
We flew along just like a song on a gallant whaling ship.
Was the second Sunday morning, just after leaving port,
We met a heavy sou'west gale and washed away our boat
It washed away our quarterdeck, our stanchions just as well,
And so we set the whole shabang a floatin' in the gale.
For the wind was on our quarter, the engines working free
There's not another whaler that sails the Arctic Sea
Can beat the old Polina, you need not try my sons,
We challenged all both great and small from Dundee to St John's.
Art Jackman set his canvas, Fair Weather galloped steam
And Captain Guy the daring boy came plunging through the stream
And Mullins in the Husky tried to beat the bloody lot
But to beat the Old Polina boys was something he could not.
For the wind was on our quarter, the engines working free
There's not another whaler that sails the Arctic Sea
Can beat the old Polina, you need not try my sons,
We challenged all both great and small from Dundee to St John's.
There's the noble Terra Nova, a model without doubt,
The Arctic and Aurora, they talk so much about.
Art Jackman's model mail boat, the terror of the sea,
Tried to beat the old Polina on a passage from Dundee.
For the wind was on our quarter, the engines working free
There's not another whaler that sails the Arctic Sea
Can beat the old Polina, you need not try my sons,
We challenged all both great and small from Dundee to St John's.
Now we're back in old St. John's where rum is very cheap
We'll drink a health of Captain Guy who brought us o'er the deep,
A health to all our sweethearts, and to our wives so fair,
Not another ship could make the trip, the Polina I declare !
For the wind was on our quarter, the engines working free
There's not another whaler that sails the Arctic Sea
Can beat the old Polina, you need not try my sons,
We challenged all both great and small from Dundee to St John's.
For the wind was on our quarter, the engines working free
There's not another whaler that sails the Arctic Sea
Can beat the old Polina, you need not try my sons,
We challenged all both great and small from Dundee to St John's.
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "Old Polina"?
Great Big Sea performs "Old Polina", and this lyric page sits inside the Great Big Sea catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "Old Polina"?
Yes. The related section below points to A Boat Like Gideon Brown and As Fast As I Can with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by Great Big Sea?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Great Big Sea's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on Old Polina yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.