Tickle Cove Pond Lyrics - The Hard & The Easy - Great Big Sea

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 never would have made that short cut on the ice 

Poor creature she's dead, poor creature she's gone 

I'll never get my mare out of Tickle Cove Pond 

But I raised an alarm, you could hear for a mile 

And neighbors 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 neighbor 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