Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Douglas Mawson Lyrics by Andy Irvine

Rude Awakening

0

Once more the cruel Antarctic calls me back
To set my foot where no man yet did go
O memories of nineteen eight of taking chances tempting fate
And the happy days we spent in McMurdo
So we dropped our anchor off Adélie Land
And we built a hut to stand the winter gale
And when the sun returned again the air rang out with sounds of men
And Greenland huskies eager for the trail
From Aladdin’s cave we started on our way
Our friends they bid goodbye and turnеd for home
Xavier Mertz was thеre with me and Cherub Ninnis just we three
Were left to carry on our fate unknown
The black crevasse claimed Ninnis and his dogs
It claimed our food our fuel it claimed our tent
I never heard one single sound, just by chance I turned around
As Ninnis to his death in silence went
Defeat and death now stared us in the face
We had one lightweight tent and that was all
Just to stay alive we knew we’d have to kill the dogs for food
How were we to know that they’d be our downfall
A leaden glare now spread across the land
And neither shape nor feature reached our eyes
And nothing left to eat only deadly poison meat
For my brave friend death has no disguise
He wears the mask of illness on his face
He wears the cloak of silence at the trace
One night he bit his finger through and spat it out in the snow
His cries of madness caused my blood to freeze
When I awoke next morning he was dead
The wreckage of his body stiff and cold
I have to try and reach firm ground at least my diary must be found
That someday this sad story may be told
The soles of my feet became detached
Teeth, nails, muscles all are gone
Down icy pits I fell through space till brought up by my harness trace
Give up give up there’s no point in going on
Three weeks I staggered on across the ice
Then a cairn of snow by sheer chance I struck
A letter there told the tale of searching men that very day
Even now I can’t believe my luck
My pulse was racing as I saw the men
My journey at an end no more to do
My skeleton was easily raised and gently on the sledge was laid
My God they cried which one of them are you?
And later tears were wet upon their cheeks
And my own eyes fill with the telling of the tale
And on that bleak and distant shore the blizzard blows for evermore
For those in icy tombs out on the trail
Credits
Andy Irvine

Andy Irvine

About “Douglas Mawson” by Andy Irvine

Read the complete lyrics to "Douglas Mawson" by Andy Irvine from the album "Rude Awakening". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"Douglas Mawson" is performed by Andy Irvine. from the album "Rude Awakening" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Douglas Mawson", explore more songs by Andy Irvine using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Andy Irvine · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Douglas Mawson" is credited to Andy Irvine. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Douglas Mawson" appears on "Rude Awakening".

Visit the Andy Irvine artist page at /artist/andy-irvine for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.