"Weary Whaling Grounds"
Sea shanties are typically broken down into five categories: long drag, short drag, capstan, pumping and whaling. The first four all correspond to specific sailing work, but whaling is a little different. Whaling shanties don’t involve specific instructions on how to catch whales, rather these were there to provide a brief respite from terrible, dangerous drudgery of whaling. You wouldn’t believe which category “Weary Whaling Grounds” falls under.
Whaling was a shit life. You got on a boat and spent a few months and sometimes a few years sailing around the frozen, iceberg-laden arctic ocean in search of a giant mammal that could fuck up your boat if you weren’t careful. Whalers lived short lives. The money wasn’t even particularly good for the sailors.
There are many versions of this song, but A.L. Lloyd’s recording from the early 60s really captures the haunted vibe of a lonely life in a frozen sea.