21. A Whale Is Worth More | Moby-Dick Act III: The Price of the Chase

[Verse 1]
I hauled you back from water, rope and spray,
And watched the wounded quarry draw away.
We cut the line to drag you from the sea,
And let the wounded quarry travel free.

[Verse 2]
I know the terror when the line runs fast,
I felt your panic when you leapt at last.
But every hand must learn to stand and stay,
For panic has a price the crew must pay.

[Chorus]
A whale is worth more when the chase is near,
I will not lose another to your fear.
If once again you leap into the foam,
The boat will keep the whale and bring it home.

[Verse 3]
I count the effort, rope and blood we spend,
And judge the task by what it yields at end.
A boat is built to hunt, a crew to gain,
And every wasted chance is counted plain.

[Verse 4]
I cut the line because you would have died,
And pulled you dripping to the boat's wet side.
But work cannot be ruled by every fright,
We cannot lose the quarry every night.

[Chorus]
A whale is worth more when the chase is near,
I will not lose another to your fear.
If once again you leap into the foam,
The boat will keep the whale and bring it home.

[Verse 5]
So hear me now, and hear the warning plain,
Stay in the boat when terror strikes again.
If you go overboard by your own will,
I'll hold the chase and keep the oarsmen still.

[Verse 6]
You may think hard the warning that I give,
But sailors learn the terms by which they live.
The hunt is work, and work demands its due,
I weigh the whale, the boat, the risk, the crew.

[Chorus]
A whale is worth more when the chase is near,
I will not lose another to your fear.
If once again you leap into the foam,
The boat will keep the whale and bring it home.

[Outro]
I hope you learned from what befell today,
For next time I may keep the boat its way.
The whale will run, the line will cut the foam,
And I will choose the catch that brings us home.

2427/7500

[The Scene] Still shaken from the moment when the line tightened around his throat, Pip is confronted by Stubb before the next hunt continues. Stubb makes it clear that the rescue cost them their quarry and that he will not make the same choice again if Pip panics and jumps overboard a second time. What had previously seemed like Stubb’s practical humour now hardens into cold calculation, reducing Pip’s life to one consideration among the demands of the hunt. The warning leaves Pip frightened and exposed, setting up the far more devastating consequence when his terror returns. [Verse 1] I hauled you back from water, rope and spray, And watched the wounded quarry draw away. We cut the line to drag you from the sea, And let the wounded quarry travel free. [Verse 2] I know the terror when the line runs fast, I felt your panic when you leapt at last. But every hand must learn to stand and stay, For panic has a price the crew must pay. [Chorus] A whale is worth more when the chase is near, I will not lose another to your fear. If once again you leap into the foam, The boat will keep the whale and bring it home. [Verse 3] I count the effort, rope and blood we spend, And judge the task by what it yields at end. A boat is built to hunt, a crew to gain, And every wasted chance is counted plain. [Verse 4] I cut the line because you would have died, And pulled you dripping to the boat's wet side. But work cannot be ruled by every fright, We cannot lose the quarry every night. [Chorus] A whale is worth more when the chase is near, I will not lose another to your fear. If once again you leap into the foam, The boat will keep the whale and bring it home. [Verse 5] So hear me now, and hear the warning plain, Stay in the boat when terror strikes again. If you go overboard by your own will, I'll hold the chase and keep the oarsmen still. [Verse 6] You may think hard the warning that I give, But sailors learn the terms by which they live. The hunt is work, and work demands its due, I weigh the whale, the boat, the risk, the crew. [Chorus] A whale is worth more when the chase is near, I will not lose another to your fear. If once again you leap into the foam, The boat will keep the whale and bring it home. [Outro] I hope you learned from what befell today, For next time I may keep the boat its way. The whale will run, the line will cut the foam, And I will choose the catch that brings us home.

0/500