Moby Dick

Call me Ishmael.

Some years ago,

having little or no money...

I thought I would sail about

and see the oceans of the world.

Whenever I get grim and spleenful...

whenever I feel like

knocking people 's hats off in the street...

whenever it's a damp,

drizzly November in my soul...

I know that it's high time

to get to sea again.

Choose any path you please...

and ten to one,

it carries you down to water.

There 's a magic in water

that draws all men away from the land...

Leads them over the hills down creeks,

and streams, and rivers to the sea.

The sea...

where each man, as in a mirror,

finds himself.

And so it was

I duly arrived at the town of New Bedford...

on a stormy Saturday late in the year 184 1.

-Rum.

-Rum it is. What mark?

To this a penny, to that another penny,

and so on to the top of the glass.

The Cape Horn measure, which

you may drink down for a full shilling.

The penny mark. Nay, the full shilling.

You'll be wanting a room tonight.

You ain't no objections to sharing

a harpooneer's bed with him, have you?

-You going whaling?

-That is my intention.

You need permission. You weren't born

and bred in New Bedford, were you?

No, I'm a stranger here.

-Then you'll have to have permission.

-Permission?

Aye. From us, the men of New Bedford.

The sea is ours.

Other seamen only have

a right of way through it.

And the whale is ours. Ours alone.

No one else may hunt it down and kill it,

unless we say so.

Do you dispute that?

-I do not.

-Good.

Then you have our permission

to sail our sea.

Drink to this boy, mates?

Big whales to you, mate!

Can whales do that?

Why, bless me, whales can do anything!

A whale can jump up like an earthquake...

and come down on you like

a mountain that's somehow put to sea.

A whale can stave in the ribs

of the biggest ships...

swallow whole crews,

pick its teeth with the oars.

Mind, lad, if God ever wanted to be a fish,

he'd be a whale.

Believe that, he'd be a whale.

Ahab.

Who's Ahab?

Captain Ahab to you.

-Who's Captain Ahab?

-Aye.

Ahab's Ahab.

Music.

In Amsterdam there lived a maid

And she was mistress of her trade

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

A-roving, a-roving

Sing!

Since roving's been my ruin

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

Her cheeks were red, her eyes were brown

Mark well what I do say

Her cheeks were red, her eyes were brown

Her curly hair was hanging down

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

A-roving, a-roving

Since roving's been my ruin

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

Landlord, which is the harpooneer

I'm to sleep with tonight?

He ain't among them.

He's what you might call

a dark-complexioned chap.

He'll be along

as soon as he finishes selling his head.

-His what?

-Selling his head.

Though he may have some difficulty

in getting rid of it.

New Bedford's overstocked.

-With what?

-Heads, of course!

Come on, lad.

Mark well what I do say

I kissed her once, I kissed her twice

And found she was as cold as ice

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

A-roving, a-roving

Since roving's been my ruin

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

Now, the young maid was fancy-free

Mark well what I do say

The young maid was fancy-free

If I could take her home with me

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

A-roving, a-roving

Since roving's been my ruin

I'll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid

-Wait. Hold on.

-Who the devil are you?

Who no speak? I kill you!

Landlord!

Peter Coffin! Coffin, save me!

Now, now, now.

What is all this about?

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