Great Big Sea - Tickle Cove Pond lyrics

In cuttin' and haulin' in frost and in snow
We're up against troubles that
Few people know
It's only by courage and patience and grit
And eatin' plain food that
We keep ourselves fit
The hard and the easy we take as they come
And when ponds freeze over
We shorten our runs
To hurry my haulin' with spring coming on
I near lost me a mare out on Tickle Cove Pond

Lay hold William Oldford
Lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and
Pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond

I knew that the ice grew weaker each day
But still took the risk and kept haulin' away
One evening in April bound home with a load
My mare showed some halting
Against the ice road
She knew more than I did
As matters turned out
Been lucky for me had I joined her in doubt
She turned round her head with
Tears in her eyes as if she were sayin'
"You're risking our lives"
All this I ignored with a whip handle blow
For man is a stupid dumb creature you know
And the very next moment the pond gave a sigh
And up to our necks went poor Kitty and I

Lay hold William Oldford
Lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and
Pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond

And if I had taken wise Kitty's advice
I ne'er would have made that
Short cut on the ice
Poor creature she's dead
Poor creature she's gone
I'll ne'er get my mare out
Of Tickle Cove Pond

I raised an alarm you could hear for a mile
And neighbours showed up in
A very short while you can always rely on
The Oldfords and Whites
To render assistance in all your bad plights
To help a kind neighbour is
Part of their lives the same can be said for
Their children and wives
And with the rope fastened
Around the mare's breast
William White for a shanty
Song made a request
There was no time for thinkin'
No time for delay
Straight from his heart came
This song right away

Lay hold William Oldford
Lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and
Pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond

Lay hold William Oldford
Lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and
Pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And with that we took Kit
Out of Tickle Cove Pond