"The Cliffs of Baccalieu" is a Newfoundland song written by Jack Withers (1899-1964).
Many fisherman from Newfoundland spent their summers fishing on the Labrador coast.
This song depicts a tense incident for a ship coming home from Labrador on its way to either Carbonear or St. John's with its fishing crew.
The ship is caught in a gale as it nears Baccalieu Island.
The vessel in the song is obviously a schooner, and it would have been burdened by a full load of salt cod caught along the Labrador coast.