Lyrics

1.’Twas the second of June by the light of the moon
when the good ship the Carson went under.
No one to this day knows why she gave way
and I guess that we always will wonder.

2.Some in the song claim a steel plate was gone
from her rusty old hull in the bottom.
While others will take this view was a mistake,
‘Twas the Labrador ice had got ’em.

3.We were all feelin’ nice as she steamed through the ice,
there was really good reason for laughter.
But the laughter soon died when somebody cried,
“O captain we’re taking on water!”

4.We all took a drink as she started to sink,
there was really no great sign of panic.
The crews cheered and roared as the lifeboats were lowered,
they knew it was not the Titanic.

5.The signals were sent and the rescuers went over
Labrador ice to their mission.
But we still never found just why she went down;
no doubt there will be a commission.

6.In Cartwright that night we were feeling uptight
we were short of supplies for the season.
When the tragedy struck we all cursed our bad luck
and this mishap was mainly the reason.

7.We have a new ship that will make the same trip
and she’ll travel in all kinds of weather.
The Sir Robert is long, she’s big, and she’s strong,
she’s the bond that will hold us together.
The Sir Robert she’s long, she’s big, she’s strong,
she’s the bond that will hold us together.

Borlase, Tim. Songs of Labrador. [Fredericton, NB]: Goose Lane, 1993, p.149.

This note was included in Borlase’s book: “This song was written after the William Carson, the ferry between Goose Bay and Lewisporte, sank on the first voyage of the summer in the early 1970s.”