Nantucket Sleighride (Pappalardi-Collins)
Goodbye, little Robin-Marie
My ships' leaving on a three-year tour
Fly your willow branches
Starbuck's sharpening his harpoon
Three years sailing on bended knee
Copyright 1970 Upfall Music Corp. (ASCAP) Miles O'Neal: I'd always wondered about the name of this song. Ron Pardo in Canada sent me this explanation: ``The term "Nantucket Sleighride" was coined by the whalers to explain what happened after they harpooned a whale. The first harpoon was not intended to kill the whale but only to attach it to the whale boat. Then the whale would take off... pulling the whale boat along on a "Nantucket Sleighride". The whale would tire itself out, then the leading officer in the boat would use a lance and stab the whale until dead.'' original url: http://www.rru.com/~meo/music/nan-slrd.html Last updated: 15 December 2001 Copyright 1996 Miles O'Neal, Austin, TX. All rights reserved.
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