Lyrics

In that wee dark engine room where the chill seeps through your soul How we huddled 'round that little pot stove That burned oily rags and coal How the winter blizzards blow when the whaling fleet's at rest Tucked in Leith Harbour's sheltered bay, safely anchored ten abreast The sailors at their stations as from ship to ship they go Carry little bags of coal with them and a little iron stove In that wee dark engine room where the chill seeps through your soul How we huddled 'round that little pot stove That burned oily rags and coal The firеman Paddy works with me on the enginеs stiff and cold A stranger to the truth is he; there's not a lie he hasn't told Well, he told me of his goldmine and of all the hearts he'd won And his bonnie sense of humour shone just like a ray of sun In that wee dark engine room where the chill seeps through your soul How we huddled 'round that little pot stove That burned oily rags and coal We laboured seven days a week with cold hands and frozen feet The bitter days and lonely nights, making grog and having fights Salt fish and whale meat sausage, fresh penguin eggs a treat And we trudged along to work each day through icy wind and sleet In that wee dark engine room where the chill seeps through your soul How we huddled 'round that little pot stove That burned oily rags and coal And then one day we saw the sun and the whaling fleet return Meet your old friends, sing a song, pray the season won't be long Then it's homeward bound when it's over, yes we'll leave this icy hole But I always will remember that little iron stove In that wee dark engine room where the chill seeps through your soul How we huddled 'round that little pot stove That burned oily rags and coal