The group can usually be heard singing on Friday evenings throughout the summer on the Platt in wonderful Port Isaac.
Fisherman's Friends are John, Julian and Jeremy Brown, Trevor Grills, John Lethbridge, Billy Hawkins, Nigel Sherratt, Peter Rowe, John McDonnell and Jon Cleave.
Fisherman's Friends, from Port Isaac on the North Cornwall coast, have secured a deal – said to be worth £1 million – with Universal, the company behind acts such as Lady Gaga, Take That and Amy Winehouse
The 10-strong group, which also has a date at this year's Glastonbury Festival, will issue an album of traditional tunes and folk songs next month after being discovered by a record producer on holiday.
Fisherman’s Friends are shanty singers--each of whom are or have been fishermen, lifeboatmen and coastguards (as well as builders, artisans, hoteliers, and shop keepers) in the local area--from Port Isaac on Cornwall’s rugged north coast.
At around eight in the evening during the summer months, tourists and locals gather to hear this ten-man group sing a rousing set of shanties and Cornish folk songs. This album, recorded in a 15th-century church in nearby St Kew, features a rich haul of 12 songs from their Port Isaac repertoire, including the classic "South Australia", the haunting Cornish robber ballad "The Cadgwith Anthem" and the beautiful "Brightly Beams".
In February 2013 Trevor Gills and tour manager Paul McMullen were both killed in a tragic accident while touring.
A Sailor Ain't a Sailor
Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A sailor's life was very hard, the food was always bad;
But now I've joined the navy, I'm on board a man-o-war,
And now I find a sailor ain't a sailor any more!
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
The 'killick' of our mess, he says we've had it soft,
It wasn't like this in his day, when he was up aloft;
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
They gave us an engine that first went up and down,
Then with more technology the engine went around;
We're good with steam and diesel, but what's a mainyard for?
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel any more!
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
They gave us an Aldis Lamp, we can do it right,
They gave us a radio, we signal day and night;
We know our codes and ciphers, but what's a 'sema' for?
A 'bunting-tosser' doesn't toss the bunting any more!
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
They gave us a radar set to pierce the fog and gloom,
So now the lookout's sitting in a tiny darkened room;
Loran does navigation, the Sonar says how deep,
The Jimmy's three sheets to the wind, the Skipper's fast asleep.
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
Two cans of beer a day, that's your bleeding lot!
But now we gets an extra one because they stopped the tot;
So, we'll put on our civvy-clothes and find a pub ashore,
A sailor's still a sailor, just like he was before!
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
The song "A Sailor Ain't a Sailor" by Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends is a humorous take on how the role of a sailor has changed over the years. The lyrics describe how the traditional tasks of a sailor, such as climbing up the mast, hauling on ropes and tossing bunting, have been replaced by newer technologies and tasks. The singer also talks about the changes in the Navy over time, the improved food and the introduction of an extra can of beer.
The song can be interpreted as a lament for the loss of traditional duties and skills, as well as a poke at the changes in modern naval technology. The lyrics point out that sailors used to be tough and had to work hard, whereas now life on board a man-o-war has become easier and safer. The refrain "a sailor ain't a sailor any more" emphasizes the point that the role of a sailor has changed and the traditional image of a sailor has evolved with the times and technology.
Overall, "A Sailor Ain't a Sailor" is an amusing and nostalgic tribute to the traditional role of sailors and the changes that have taken place over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
My father often told me, when I was just a lad,
My father used to tell me when I was a child
A sailor's life was very hard, the food was always bad;
That the life of a sailor is tough and that they often get bad food to eat
But now I've joined the navy, I'm on board a man-o-war,
But now that I've joined the navy, I'm serving on a large warship
And now I find a sailor ain't a sailor any more!
And now I realize that being a sailor is no longer the same as what my father told me
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
We're no longer expected to do everything by brute force
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
If you see a sailing ship, it's not a guarantee you'll survive
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
Be ready to head to land and live like a civilian
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
Being a sailor is not what it used to be
The 'killick' of our mess, he says we've had it soft,
The most senior person in our group says we have it easy now
It wasn't like this in his day, when he was up aloft;
Things were not like this when he was serving and climbing up to the top of the ship
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
We have become accustomed to modern comforts, and no longer know the traditional way of sleeping on a hammock
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?
We now have to wonder whether to swing from the ceiling, or lie on the floor
They gave us an engine that first went up and down,
We were first given an engine that moved in one direction
Then with more technology the engine went around;
But then it became more advanced, and now can turn 360 degrees
We're good with steam and diesel, but what's a mainyard for?
We've become skilled with modern engines, but no longer know how to use the traditional mainyard
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel any more!
Being a stoker in the past involved shoveling coal, but it's very different now
They gave us an Aldis Lamp, we can do it right,
We now have a more advanced communication device, which we've mastered
They gave us a radio, we signal day and night;
And we also have a radio to communicate around the clock
We know our codes and ciphers, but what's a 'sema' for?
We're skilled in coding, but no longer know the traditional semaphore method
A 'bunting-tosser' doesn't toss the bunting any more!
The job of the 'bunting-tosser' has become obsolete
They gave us a radar set to pierce the fog and gloom,
With more advanced technology, we now have radar to help us navigate in rough weather
So now the lookout's sitting in a tiny darkened room;
The person who used to look out from the top of a ship now sits in a small, dark room
Loran does navigation, the Sonar says how deep,
We now rely on Loran and Sonar for navigation and knowing how deep the water is
The Jimmy's three sheets to the wind, the Skipper's fast asleep.
The officer who's supposed to keep things under control is drunk, and the captain is asleep
Two cans of beer a day, that's your bleeding lot!
We're now limited to two cans of beer per day
But now we gets an extra one because they stopped the tot;
But we now get an extra can because they've stopped giving out the tot
So, we'll put on our civvy-clothes and find a pub ashore,
So, we'll get dressed in civilian clothes and head to a pub on land
A sailor's still a sailor, just like he was before!
But, in the end, a sailor is still a sailor
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
Despite all the changes, we still have to follow some of the traditional rules
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Seeing a traditional sailing ship reminds us of the dangers of the past
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
Get ready to head back to land again
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
Being a sailor has changed a lot over the years
Don't haul on the rope, don't climb up the mast,
We still have to follow some of the traditional rules
If you see a sailing-ship, it might be your last;
Seeing a traditional sailing ship reminds us of the dangers of the past
Get your civvies ready for another run ashore,
Get ready to head back to land again
A sailor ain't a sailor, ain't a sailor any more!
Being a sailor has changed a lot over the years
Contributed by Lucas Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.