This group's original name was Fisherman's Friends; their first album with … Read Full Bio ↴This group's original name was Fisherman's Friends; their first album with Universal, Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends, was recorded in St Kew Parish Church, Cornwall, and released in April 2010

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.

Haul Away Joe
Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I was just a little lad, Or so me mommy told me
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe
That if I didn't kiss the girls me lips would grow moldy
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe

**
Away!
Ho! Haul away, we'll haul away together

Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Away!
Ho! Haul away, we'll haul for better weather
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe

King Louie was the king of France before the revolution
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe
But then he got his head cut off and it spoiled his constitution
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe

**

Once I had an Irish girl but she got fat and lazy
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe
But now I've got a Cornish girl and she just drives me mazy
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe

**

Hey, can't you see the black cloud are rising?
Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe
Hey, can't you see the storm clouds are gathering
Away, haul away we'll haul away Joe

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends's song Haul Away Joe are a sea shanty, typically sung by sailors to keep themselves entertained during long periods of hard work. The song is about a young boy who is warned by his mother that if he doesn't kiss the girls, his lips will grow moldy. The song then goes on to talk about King Louie of France who got his head cut off and how it spoiled his constitution. It then moves on to talk about the singer's love interests, one of whom got fat and lazy and the other who just drives him mazy. The song ends with a warning about the gathering storm clouds.

This sea shanty is full of interesting lyrics and metaphors. The line "if I didn't kiss the girls me lips would grow moldy" is a vivid way to describe the importance of social interaction and love in life, and the line "King Louie got his head cut off and it spoiled his constitution" is a way to describe how a tragic event can change a person's life drastically. The line "Once I had an Irish girl but she got fat and lazy, but now I've got a Cornish girl and she just drives me mazy" is a playful way to talk about the different relationships the singer has had.

Line by Line Meaning

When I was just a little lad, Or so me mommy told me
My mother told me when I was young and naive

Away, haul away, we'll haul away Joe
We'll move away from where we are and sing this sea shanty together

That if I didn't kiss the girls me lips would grow moldy
My mother warned me that if I didn't kiss the girls, I'd become dull and uninteresting