Andy Barnes, 1983
(c) 1986 Friendly Overtures
My soul has been torn from me and I am bleeding
My heart it has been rent and I am crying
For the beauty around me pales and I am screaming
I am the last of the great whales and I am dying
Last night I heard the cry of my last companion
The roar of the harpoon gun, and then I was alone
I reflected on days gone by when we were thousands
For I know that I soon must die, the last leviathan
This morning the sun did rise crimson in the north sky
The ice was the colour of blood and the winds they did sigh
I rose to take a breath, it was my last one
From a gun came the roar of death and now I am done
Oh now that we are all gone there's no more hunting
The big fellow is now gone. There’s no use lamenting
What race will be next in line, all for the slaughter?
The elephant or the seal or your sons and daughters?