raise-the-dead

Updated: June 23, 2025

"Captain gone ashore!" and the like, might do for common pulls, but in an emergency, when we wanted a heavy, "raise-the-dead" pull, which should start the beams of the ship, there was nothing like "Time for us to go!" "Round the corner," or "Hurrah! hurrah! my hearty bullies!" This was the most lively part of our work.

Richard Henry Dana - Two Years Before the Mast

Two or three songs would be tried, one after the other, with no effect, not an inch could be got upon the tackles; when a new song, struck up, seemed to hit the humor of the moment, and drove the tackles ``two blocks'' at once. ``Heave round hearty! ``Captain gone ashore! ``Dandy ship and a dandy crew, and the like, might do for common pulls, but on an emergency, when we wanted a heavy, ``raise-the-dead pull, which should start the beams of the ship, there was nothing like ``Time for us to go! ``Round the corner, ``Tally high ho! you know, or ``Hurrah! hurrah! my hearty bullies!

Richard Henry Dana - Two Years Before the Mast

'Heave round, hearty! 'Captain gone ashore! and the like, might do for common pulls, but in an emergency, when we wanted a heavy, raise-the-dead pull, which would start the beams of the ship, there was nothing like 'Time for us to go! 'Round the corner, or 'Hurrah! Hurrah! my hearty bullies!"

John Burroughs - The Last Harvest