Song of the Ady Gil

Come, listen to the song the humpbacks sing
Their chorus tells the tale
Of the Ady Gil’s days defending our whales
A shepherd on her wing

Circling the globe, EarthRace was the name
Of record breaker, wave-piercer acclaim
For the future made
Then changed her trade
In a deal to enlist
With anti-whaling ships

From proud Aotearoa she then came
Once painted black, she gained a pirate’s fame
The whale-rider’s tribes
And sea nations’ scribes
Blessed her rouge crest
For Antarctic tests

So listen to the song the humpbacks sing
Their chorus tells the tale
Of the Ady Gil’s days defending our whales
A shepherd on her wing

Again, Whalers came from a distant land
To draw a hard line; to take a hardstand
An endless science need
Their defenseless creed
Hunting all they find
Summertime, any kind

But Ady Gil, she’d beat them on the blue
Her mission bold with a fresh and brave crew
She was built for speed
and she took the lead
In a quest to protect
the best of what’s left…

So heed now the song the humpbacks sing
Their chorus tells the tale
Of the Ady Gil’s days defending our whales
A shepherd on her wing

The Nisha Maru, she packed her harpoons
And Ady Gil, she prepared her pontoons
Then Shonan Maru No. 2
Was secured anew
to disrupt tactics
and quiet skeptics

Those fated ships, engaged in the cold brine
Ady Gil raced ahead to lay a stern line
Entangle the prop
Make the death ship stop
Bad days, we might fail
Good days, saves a whale

So listen to the song the humpbacks sing
Their chorus tells the tale
Of the Ady Gil’s days defending our whales
A shepherd on her wing

Now Bob Barker driving hard through the sleet
The newest addition to shepherds fleet
At the horizon
Watching on station
Ready for action
Little distraction

Then Ady Gil slowed her progress at sea
With the strategy still catch me and flee
And Shonan Maru No. 2
Then knew what to do
Hard about she came
Hard about without shame

Water cannons blazing and throttle full
Shonan Maru bore down, an angry bull
Then under her bow
Crushed Ady’s sleek prow
Full intent to sink
What else could they think?

Not a soul was lost that cold day at sea
And Ady Gil’s wreck could be salvaged maybe
The world watched in horror
At the lack of honor
Oh, Shonan Maru
Whatever did you do?

Ady’s remains were towed by hope’s light
But in the dead of night, she gave up her fight
Engine room flooded
From the fight still bloodied
Deep-down, dark she rests
Ady Gil was the best of the best!

So remember the song the humpbacks sing
Their chorus tells the tale
Teach your children the song the humpbacks sing;
Of the Ady Gil’s days defending our whales
A shepherd on her wing.