From the port of Saint-Malo, the Grande Hermine set sail
With a crew of sturdy Bretons who could weather any gale
King Francis wanted riches and a passage to the East
But they found the Great St
Lawrence, a wild and frozen beast

Heave away for Cartier, the Gulf is open wide
They're riding up the river on a cold and salty tide
De Montréal à la Ville de Québec
they raised the lilies high
Underneath the granite cliffs and a vast northern sky
Heave away
Heave away
Yeah

The winter bit their fingers
and the scurvy thinned the line
Till the bark of white cedar made them feel better in time
They filled their holds with diamonds
that were only common quartz
And they left the King of France
a land of woods and rocky ports

Heave away for Cartier, the Gulf is open wide
They're riding up the river on a cold and salty tide
De Montréal à la Ville de Québec
they raised the lilies high
Underneath the granite cliffs and a vast northern sky
Heave away
Heave away
Oh-oh-oh