The William Carson (Joan Morrissey) video

#00413

The William Carson (Joan Morrissey) video

#707 YouTube video by oldirishladdie
©2009 ~ Used with permission ~

Oh, I'm a jolly seafaring man and Tobin is my name,
I've captained many a stalwart vessel in the shipping game;
I'm now commanding a mighty ship with decks of every sort,
There's only one thing wrong with her - she can't get into a port!

What shall we do with the William Carson?
What shall we do with the William Carson?
What shall we do with the William Carson?
No one seems to want her!

Eleven million, five hundred thousand dollars has been spent,
And everyone who sees her says she's worth every cent;
We've elevators and cafeterias, cabins fit for a lord,
We've lounges and we've showers, but not one passenger on board.

What shall we do with the William Carson?
What shall we do with the William Carson?
What shall we do with the William Carson?
No one seems to want her!

We've stewards and we've stewardesses and dozens of a crew,
Each night they sit and play bingo 'cause they've nothing else to do;
As we go sailing across the gulf beneath the evening star,
They climb into their bunks and sing, God bless the CNR.

What shall we do with the William Carson?
What shall we do with the William Carson?
What shall we do with the William Carson?
No one seems to want her!

The federal government policy is hard to estimate,
They build a luxury liner then fill her up with freight;
I pace the poop and I think of all those dollars thrown away,
And to all the folks up in Ottawa this is what I'd like to say:

You know what you can do with the William Carson?
You know what you can do with the William Carson?
You know what you can do with the William Carson?
Stick her in Argentia!

####.... Joseph Shaw ....####

This variant arranged by Tom Cahill of St John's, NL [1928-2006] and recorded by Joan Morrissey (Home Brew, trk#8, 1973, Marathon Music Inc, Toronto, Ontario).

See more songs by Joan Morrissey.

See more songs about NFLD shipwrecks.

Notes:

¹ CNR - Canadian National Railway.
² Home Brew was a satirical revue produced by Tom Cahill [1928-2006] of St John's, NL, first in Corner Brook in 1958, and performed by the Playmakers. After 10 revues in Corner Brook, he moved to St John's and began an east coast version.
³ The William Carson sailed from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Argentia, NL, and Port-aux-Basques, NL, and was later switched to the Lewisporte to Goose Bay (Labrador) run. She sank on June 3, 1977, off the Labrador coast while navigating in ice eight to nine feet thick. The wreck lies in deep water. The exact cause was never determined. There was a theory that some repairs had not been completed properly; she may have hit a small arctic iceberg trapped in the softer pack ice. There were 109 crew and 29 passengers on the ship (no loss of life).
- Harry Dodsworth, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

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