See the lyrics to “Call Me The Whale” by Paul Kaplan, it was released in 1983
Call Me The Whale Lyrics
Verse 1:
Call me the whale, for that’s what I am,
And all I aim to be.
You may call yourselves the kings of the land,
But I am the king of the sea, brave boys,
Yes, I am the king of the sea.Verse 2:
You came after me in your matchstick boats,
With your harpoons poised for the kill.
When I looked you in the eye, I never saw you cry,
But I know that I gave you a chill, brave boys,
I know that I gave you a chill.Verse 3:
I never ever meant you any harm, brave boys,
When I sent you to the bottom with my tail.
I only meant to show you, you should’ve been at home,
Instead of on the ocean chasing whales, brave boys,
Instead of on the ocean chasing whales.Verse 4:
But you never got the message, so more and more you came,
‘Til I ran out of places to hide.
When your boats got so big, that I couldn’t bring you down,
Then I knew you had turned the tide, brave boys,
I knew you had turned the tide.Verse 5:
Now you hunt me down in your factory ships,
And you never even touch me with your hands.
In the morning, I’m playing with my babies in the waves,
In the afternoon, I’m packed into your cans, brave boys,
In the afternoon, I’m packed into your cans.Verse 6:
You’ve gotten so efficient with your implements of death,
That by now I am barely alive.
But if you treat each other the way you’ve treated me,
I think I am going to survive, brave boys,
I know I am going to survive.Repeat Verse 1
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About the song “Call Me The Whale”
The song “Call Me the Whale” by Paul Kaplan was released in 1983. It is a folk song reflecting on the impact of whaling and the whale’s struggle for survival from the whale’s perspective.
The song carries a strong message about the destructive impact of human actions on nature, specifically focusing on the whaling industry.
Through a whale’s perspective, the song highlights themes of environmental destruction, the imbalance of power, and the cruelty of industrial whaling.
The song expresses a sense of helplessness as whales are hunted to near extinction and critiques humanity’s exploitation of the natural world for economic gain.
Despite this destruction, the whale conveys a sense of resilience and hope that if humans continue treating each other as they treat whales, the whale may outlast them.