The Shoals of Herring
Ewan MacColl & Peggy Seeger Lyrics

With our nets and gear we're faring
We are traveling across the ocean with our equipment and tools.

On the wild and wasteful ocean.
We are traveling on the tumultuous, unpredictable ocean filled with danger.

Its there that we hunt and we earn our bread
We work and gain food solely from hunting for fish in the ocean.

As we hunted for the shoals of herring
We searched and caught herring fish as a means of survival.

O it was a fine and a pleasant day
The weather was good and enjoyable that day.

Out of Yarmouth harbor I was faring
I was leaving the Yarmouth harbor on a boat.

As a cabinboy on a sailing lugger
I was working as a servant on a small sailing boat.

For to go and hunt the shoals of herring
My purpose was to catch herring fish for food and trade.

O the work was hard and the hours long
The job was difficult with long hours.

And the treatment, sure it took some bearing
I had to endure cruel treatment from my superiors.

There was little kindness and the kicks were many
My superiors were unkind and abused me physically.

As we hunted for the shoals of herring
We caught herring fish despite the difficulty and mistreatment.

O we fished the Swarth and the Broken Bank
We caught fish in Swarth and Broken Bank.

I was cook and I'd a quarter sharing
I was in charge of cooking and received a portion of the fish caught.

And I used to sleep standing on my feet
I was so exhausted from work that I had to sleep standing up.

And I'd dream about the shoals of herring
I dreamed about catching more herring fish.

O we left the homegrounds in the month of June
We departed our home port in June.

And to Canny Shiels we soon were bearing
We were traveling to Canny Shiels.

With a hundred cran of silver darlings
We caught one hundred boxes of herring fish.

That we'd taken from the shoals of herring
We caught the herring fish from the shoals in the ocean.

Now you're up on deck, you're a fisherman
When you're on the deck, you're a skilled fisherman.

You can swear and show a manly bearing
You can use profanity and have a tough, masculine attitude.

Take your turn on watch with the other fellows
Take turns monitoring for shoals of herring with other men.

While you're searching for the shoals of herring
You're looking for herring fish while watching for shoals.

In the stormy seas and the living gales
Amidst rough and tumultuous ocean conditions,

Just to earn your daily bread you're daring
We risk our lives to catch herring fish for our livelihood.

From the Dover Straits to the Faroe Islands
We travel from the Dover Straits to the Faroe Islands to catch herring fish.

As you're following the shoals of herring
We're chasing the shoals of herring to catch them.

O I earned my keep and I paid my way
I earned my living and funded my own way of life.

And I earned the gear that I was wearing
I purchased and owned the equipment I used for fishing.

Sailed a million miles, caught ten million fishes
I traveled enormous distances and caught countless fish.

We were sailing after shoals of herring
Our main purpose was to chase and catch shoals of herring.