Neil and Roger had been singing together as a duo in West Yorkshire since 1966 whilst John burst upon the folk scene a little later in 1972 as a member of Hebric. John, who has a voice similar to Paul Robeson also sings with the local operatic society in Halifax and is a member of The Bradshaw Mummers who can be seen in quaint outfits throughout most summers at various festivals acting out the important chapters of English history. John sang lead bass with Northern Ballet at Leeds Playhouse for the winter season of Mozart’s Requiem. Meanwhile Joe Stead had begun a professional career in London in 1966 which eventually took him to various parts of the world and more recently the first Valparaiso Festival of the Sea in Chile. Joe has performed in concert in America with Pete Seeger twice and also sung at a garden party with Paul Robeson in London in 1958. Neil also sang in concert with Pete Seeger when he and Joe crossed the Atlantic with Paul Downes to perform in a concert in New Jersey to raise funds for the Delaware Valley River Project.
There are now two new members in the group. David Buckley joined Kimber's Men at the end of April 2006. David is an actor and a singer who has performed in musicals and with the Halifax Operatic Society. They found him playing the part of Captain Smith in 'Titanic the Musical'. David sings tenor harmony. He has recently written a song called 'I will always be there' which may become as popular as 'Don't take the heroes'.
In June 2007 Kimber's Men increased their number to 5 when 'Gaz' joined the quartet.
Lumper's Life
Kimber's Men Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And knives have come to town
Folks with sense are in their beds but the lumpers they go down
Down you [??????????] where the wind cuts like a knife
I wish to christ that never started on a lumping life
And it's all the night and half a day
Sweating for your lumpers pay
Fill the boxes up and down, up inside [??????] Town
How your hands go stiff incased in ice when the temperatures below
The wind cuts through your [??????] lads your face is stiff and blue
And you wish the [???????????] were there instead of you
And it's all the night and half a day
Sweating for your lumpers pay
Fill the boxes up and down, up inside [??????] Town
Me father was a lumper and a dogman all his life
Me mother told me sister never be a lumper's wife
You'll wash his fishy overalls and [???] stiff old socks
And every night you sleep alone while he goes down the docks
And it's all the night and half a day
Sweating for your lumpers pay
Fill the boxes up and down, up inside [??????] Town
If ever I win the pool me lads me lumping days are through
I'll cash me check from little [???] and I know just what I'll do
I'll treat me mates and say goodbye and leave the lumping life
And then I'll go to bed at night and get to know me wife
And it's all the night and half a day
Sweating for your lumpers pay
Fill the boxes up and down, up inside [??????] Town
And it's all the night and half a day
The song "Lumper's Life" by Kimber's Men tells the story of the life of a lumper, who is a worker who unloads cargo from ships in port. The lyrics describe the harsh conditions that lumpers endure as they work in the cold and wind, with knives at their side to cut the fish that they are unloading. The work is grueling, with long hours spent filling boxes with fish for half a day and all night.
The songwriter uses vivid descriptions to paint a picture of the harsh realities of the life of a lumper. The wind is described as cutting like a knife, and the cold is so intense that it causes the lumper's hands to freeze. Despite all of this, the workers continue on, day after day, sweating for their pay and wishing for something more.
The final verse of the song tells of the hope that winning the lottery brings, and the freedom it would provide from the lumper's life. The singer dreams of treating his friends, saying goodbye to the life he knows, and going home to his wife. It is a powerful commentary on the difficult lives of workers who do the hard, often unseen work of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
The fish are waiting in the hole
The fish are waiting in the hold of the ship
And knives have come to town
Tools for cleaning and cutting fish have arrived
Folks with sense are in their beds but the lumpers they go down
Those who are sensible are asleep, while the lumpers go to work
Down you [??????????] where the wind cuts like a knife
Down by the docks where the wind is harsh and biting
I wish to christ that never started on a lumping life
I regret ever starting a career in manual labor at the docks
And it's all the night and half a day
The work goes on for twenty-four hours
Sweating for your lumpers pay
Working hard in order to earn wages as a dockworker
Fill the boxes up and down, up inside [??????] Town
Filling boxes with fish, moving them up and down the docks
We call midnight millionaires by folks who never know
Those who work overnight at the docks are called 'midnight millionaires' by those who are unaware of the difficult working conditions
How your hands go stiff incased in ice when the temperatures below
How your hands become stiff and numb from being exposed to the freezing temperatures
The wind cuts through your [??????] lads your face is stiff and blue
The wind feels like it's slicing through your skin, leaving your face numb and cold
And you wish the [???????????] were there instead of you
You wish someone else was doing the job instead of you
Me father was a lumper and a dogman all his life
My father worked as a dockworker and a dogman (a person who handles cargo) for his entire career
Me mother told me sister never be a lumper's wife
My mother warned my sister never to marry a dockworker
You'll wash his fishy overalls and [???] stiff old socks
You'll have to clean his dirty overalls and his stiff, smelly socks
And every night you sleep alone while he goes down the docks
You'll be lonely at night while he's working at the docks
If ever I win the pool me lads me lumping days are through
If I ever win the lottery, I won't have to work as a dockworker anymore
I'll cash me check from little [???] and I know just what I'll do
I'll cash my check from Littlewoods (a UK-based football pools company) and spend it on something else
I'll treat me mates and say goodbye and leave the lumping life
I'll treat my friends, say goodbye to the docks, and leave behind the life of a dockworker
And then I'll go to bed at night and get to know me wife
I'll be able to spend time with my wife at night and get to know her better
And it's all the night and half a day
The work goes on non-stop, all day and night
Sweating for your lumpers pay
Working hard to earn wages as a dockworker
Fill the boxes up and down, up inside [??????] Town
Moving fish boxes up and down the docks, in the town where the singer works
Contributed by Declan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@erian3507
For anyone else trying to learn these wonderful lyrics:
I come from the mud and the wind and the wet
From as far to the west as a man can get
And I worked those waters for all my years
And I got my share of triumph and tears
Ah, the ocean’s the source of my hopes and fears
Keep an eye on the jigger pole, hand on the gaff
And a smiley on the line always brought a laugh
She’s the pride of the coast, biggest of the springs
We would carry her home past Edward King
Unloading at the packers’ and the money would ring
I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden
And you might slip and stumble on the rocks at the shore
And exult in the blast of the mighty wake’s roar
But when you stand humbled by the ocean’s door
Then you’ll understand just who I am
Bamfield’s Johnnie Vanden
Fair weather is the mask that the devil dons
A disguise for the tempest that’s coming on
But looking toward the west, I can always tell
By the tint of the sky and the strength of the swell
Who’s winning today—is it heaven or hell?
And when unseen arms threw thundering gales
We risked our souls on that telegraph trail
When the listing wrecks needed us the most
We slipped past death on the graveyard coast
But the ocean remembers, so we never did boast
I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden
And you might slip and stumble on the rocks at the shore
And exult in the blast of the mighty wake’s roar
But when you stand humbled by the ocean’s door
Then you’ll understand just who I am
Bamfield’s Johnnie Vanden
I rolled and trolled and my hands were worn
In God’s vindictive southeast storm
Heard the hull of the ship as it ripped and groaned
But there is one thrill I've never known
'T is, the love of a woman I could call my own
So your questions of romance don’t ask me
I’m the man who wed the Pacific sea
Tempestuous though she may have been
A more faithful two you never seen
She’s kept me wise and fit and lean
I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden
And you might slip and stumble on the rocks at the shore
And exult in the blast of the mighty wake’s roar
But when you stand humbled by the ocean’s door
Then you’ll understand just who I am
Bamfield’s Johnnie Vanden
Bamfield’s John Vanden
@guitarheel99
All these guys sound fantastic, but that bass is SUPERB.
@stackspace
Nigh uncatchable
@papalegba6759
john bromley. legend.
@DamesJe4n
Og bromley
@GardensAndGames
@Papa Legba his son's voice is even deeper, you can find the Bromley's singing Prickle Holly Bush here on YouTube.
@Elysiadon
John looking at his gut & laughing during the "fit and lean" line is chef's kiss
@scottmclagan4276
Hahaha... most awesome.
John... you don't miss a beat.
@scottmclagan4276
"John... you don't miss a beat."
BTW...pun fully intended.
@herbivorethecarnivore8447
The bass guy is gonna rupture my organs with that voice
@robholloway6829
John's voice is beyond perfect.