Archie Fisher was born in Glasgow on 23 October 1939. In 1960 he moved to Edinburgh and appeared regularly at a folk club called "The Howff" run by Roy Guest. In 1962 Ray & Archie Fisher released a single on the Topic label, "Far Over the Forth". They appeared on the BBC programme 'Hootenanny'. In 1965 the whole family released an album "Traditional and New Songs from Scotland" under the name The Fisher Family.
Bert Jansch visited The Howff in 1960 and received guitar lessons from another regular performer, Len Partridge. Archie met Robin Williamson, Clive Palmer and Mike Heron, later to become The Incredible String Band.
By 1964 the Edinburgh Fringe could boast a folk festival in its own right. An album of the participants was released on Decca. It was called "Edinburgh Folk Festival vol 2" and contained tracks by Ray Fisher, Archie Fisher, Anne Briggs, and the Ian Campbell Folk Group (including Dave Swarbrick). Jansch and Briggs performed together but this was never recorded. At an early stage Archie recognised the power of Barbara Dickson's singing and in 1969 invited her to guest on his albums. His live act included 'All Around My Hat', later to become a hit for Steeleye Span. His song "Witch of the Westmorland" was recorded by Barbara Dickson in 1971 on her album "From the Beggar's Mantle", by Archie on "The Man With a Rhyme" in 1976, by Stan Rogers in 1979 and by Golden Bough in 1983.
In 1983 he started hosting a folk programme on Radio Scotland, called Travelling Folk. It is still running. He appeared as the lead guitarist on Tom Paxton's 1986 album, The Very Best of Tom Paxton. After Barbara Dickson achieved fame as an easy listening singer it was many years before she sang folk songs again. When she did, Archie was invited back to join her. Archie has toured Canada and the USA. His style of singing is very gentle and he avoids all electronic instruments. "Dark-Eyed Molly" has been recorded by Fairport Convention, Eva Cassidy, Stan Rogers, and Sheena Wellington. He now lives in the north of England.
Discography:
Ray & Archie Fisher
* Far Over the Forth (1962)
The Fisher Family
* Traditional and New Songs From Scotland (1965)
Solo Recordings
* Archie Fisher (1968)
* Orfeo (1970)
* Will Ye Gang, Love (1976)
* The Man With A Rhyme (1976)
* Sunsets I've Galloped Into (1995)
* Windward Away (2010)
With Barbara Dickson
* The Fate o' Charlie (1969)
* Thro' The Recent Years (1970)
With Garnet Rogers
* Off the Map (1986)
Final Trawl
Archie Fisher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Archie Fisher - as performed by Garnet Rogers.
Tuning ==> DADGBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since we made her pay,
Sing, haul away, my laddie-o
And we can't get by on the subsidy,
Sing haul away, my laddie-o
So now you heave away,
For the final trawl
Sing haul away, my laddie-o
It′s an easy pull
For the catch is small
Sing haul away, my laddie-o.
And then you take your gear, lad,
And batten down,
And I'll taker her wheel, lad,
And turn her 'round.
And then we′ll join the ′Venture'
And the ′Morning Star'
Riding high and empty
Towards the bar.
For I′d rather beach her
On the Skerry rock
Than to see her torched
In the breakers dock
Then when I die,
You can stow me down
In her rusty hold
Where the breakers sound
And then I'll make the haven
Of Fiddler′s Green
Where the grub is good,
And the bunks are clean
For I've fished a lifetime,
Boy and man
And this final trawl
Scarcely makes a cran.
And it's been three long years
Since we made her pay
And we can′t get by
On the subsidy
Sing haul away, my laddie-o.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Note:
~~~~
′Sing haul away, my laddie-o' appears after the 2nd and 4th
Line of each verse - as shown in the first and second verse
The song Final Trawl by Archie Fisher is a lament about the end of an era in the fishing industry. The singer of the song has been fishing for a lifetime, but the subsidies that were once provided to support the industry have disappeared, making it difficult to make ends meet. The song begins with the singer saying that it has been three long years since they made their boat pay. The chorus, "Sing haul away, my laddie-o," is a call to the crew to keep moving and singing as they haul in the final catch.
The final trawl is described as an easy pull with a small catch. The singer acknowledges that it's time to move on and heaves away for the last time. He then instructs his crew to batten down the gear and he takes the wheel to turn the boat around. The mention of the "Venture" and the "Morning Star" evoke memories of other boats and other fishing expeditions. The boat is now riding high and empty towards the bar, indicating the end of fishing for this crew.
The singer expresses his desire to beach the boat on the Skerry rock rather than see it torched in the breakers dock. He then speaks of his own mortality and his desire to be laid to rest in the boat's rusty hold where he can hear the breakers sound. The final lines of the song refer to Fiddler's Green, a mythical place where fishermen go when they die. The singer says he's fished a lifetime, but this final trawl scarcely makes a cran. The song is a powerful tribute to the fishing industry and the men who work tirelessly in it, even in the face of hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been three long years
It has been three long years since we last took the boat out to sea.
Since we made her pay,
Since we were last able to reap the rewards of our hard work, we have been struggling financially.
Sing, haul away, my laddie-o
Let us continue to work hard and move forward, hauling our catch and singing along the way.
And we can't get by on the subsidy,
We are unable to sustain ourselves on the government's financial aid alone.
So now you heave away,
It is time for us to put in some work and cast off our nets for the final fishing trip.
For the final trawl
This will be our last fishing expedition.
It's an easy pull
This time, the task will not be as challenging.
For the catch is small
There are not many fish left in these waters.
And then you take your gear, lad,
Prepare yourself for the journey ahead and gather your tools and equipment.
And batten down,
Secure everything on the boat and make sure it is ready for the rough waves.
And I'll take her wheel, lad,
I will control the boat and steer us towards our destination.
And turn her 'round.
We will turn the boat around and head back to the shore.
And then we'll join the 'Venture'
We will join the other boats, Venture and Morning Star.
And the 'Morning Star'
We will travel alongside the Morning Star.
Riding high and empty
We will travel back with empty nets.
Towards the bar.
We will return to the harbor.
For I'd rather beach her
I would prefer to ground the boat on a specific rock, Skerry rock.
On the Skerry rock
This is where I would like to beach the boat.
Than to see her torched
Instead of watching the boat go up in flames due to their financial struggles.
In the breakers dock
The breakers dock is where boats are taken to be scrapped.
Then when I die,
After I pass away.
You can stow me down
Place my body inside.
In her rusty hold
In the boat's old, rusty hold.
Where the breakers sound
The sounds of the waves crashing against the hull can be heard.
And then I'll make the haven
I will finally reach my destination.
Of Fiddler's Green
This place represents peace and happiness.
Where the grub is good,
There is an abundance of food.
And the bunks are clean
The beds are clean and comfortable.
For I've fished a lifetime,
I have dedicated my entire life to this profession.
Boy and man
Since I was a young boy.
And this final trawl
This fishing trip will be the last one of my life.
Scarcely makes a cran.
Even with all the hardships we have faced, this trip will not yield a large catch.
Writer(s): Archie Fisher
Contributed by Benjamin R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
burt bloom
Rarely does a song posess such a combination of beauty, sorrow, and profundity as this. A work of true significance, performed with mastery. Thanks, Archie. I have loved this recording ever since I first heard it.
sandra morey
So beautiful. Like Ewan MacCall's "Singing The Fishing" documenting the loss of the fisheries and thus the livelihood of the fisher folk. Another plea from decades back for us to preserve our oceans, our livelihoods and our precious future for our progeny. Thanks, Archie
Anthony Xavier
Please join us at Scottish Folk Music on Facebook, for more great tunes & craic!
Dan Frechette
A masterpiece. I can't get over this song.
mfmatusky
Skerry Rock: A rock island too small for a lighthouse
Breaker's Dock: A salvage operation where ships and boats are cut apart for scrap
Fiddler's Green: The afterlife for fishermen who have dedicated their lives to the sea and their trade
Patricia Knowles
It's a wonderful version of this song but the first time I heard it was at a folk festival in Buffalo NY and sung by the wonderful Stan Rogers and it will always be my favourite.
NSResponder
His brother Garnet does a beautiful version of it, too.
maidenrulz73
NSResponder garnet does a great version indeed
davuitar
Is there a video of Stan singing it?
Edward Jones
Absolutely breathtaking ! Fantastic tune and words !