Ewan MacColl
Here are the words to Shoals of Herring - a song I always associate with the Scottish folk singer - Ewan MacColl.
Ewan was the father of the singer/songwriter - Kirsty MacColl (Fairy Tale of New York) - and wrote a number of hits - including The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - for Peggy Seeger.
Because of his membership of the British Communist Party - Ewan McColl was banned from entering America at the time - and had to teach Peggey Seeger the song by long distance telephone apparently.
Ewan MacColl also wrote Dirty Old Town - a song made famous by Rod Stewart.
I wonder if Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper - ever heard Ewan MacColl sing 'Shoals of Herring'.
I bet she'd have been a big fan.
Shoals of Herring
O, it was a fine and a pleasant day
Out of Yarmouth harbour I was faring
As a cabin boy on a sailing lugger
For to go and hunt the shoals of herring
O, the work was hard and the hours were long
And the treatment sure it took some bearing
There was little kindness and the kicks were many
As we hunted for the shoals of herring
O, we fished the Swarth and the Broken Bank
I was a cook and I'd a quarter-sharing
And I used to sleep, standing on me feet
And I'd dream about the shoals of herring
O, we left the home grounds in the month of June
And to canny Shiels we soon was bearing
With a hundred cran of the silver darlings
That we'd taken from the shoals of herring
Now you're up on deck, you're a fisherman
You can swear and show a manly bearing
Take your turn on watch with the other fellows
While you're searching for the shoals of herring
In the stormy seas and the living gales
Just to earn your daily bread you're daring
From the Dover Straits to the Faroe Islands
As you're following the shoals of herring
O, I earned me keep and I paid me way
And I earned the gear that I was wearing
Sailed a million miles, caught ten-million fishes
We were sailing after shoals of herring
Ewan was the father of the singer/songwriter - Kirsty MacColl (Fairy Tale of New York) - and wrote a number of hits - including The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - for Peggy Seeger.
Because of his membership of the British Communist Party - Ewan McColl was banned from entering America at the time - and had to teach Peggey Seeger the song by long distance telephone apparently.
Ewan MacColl also wrote Dirty Old Town - a song made famous by Rod Stewart.
I wonder if Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper - ever heard Ewan MacColl sing 'Shoals of Herring'.
I bet she'd have been a big fan.
Shoals of Herring
O, it was a fine and a pleasant day
Out of Yarmouth harbour I was faring
As a cabin boy on a sailing lugger
For to go and hunt the shoals of herring
O, the work was hard and the hours were long
And the treatment sure it took some bearing
There was little kindness and the kicks were many
As we hunted for the shoals of herring
O, we fished the Swarth and the Broken Bank
I was a cook and I'd a quarter-sharing
And I used to sleep, standing on me feet
And I'd dream about the shoals of herring
O, we left the home grounds in the month of June
And to canny Shiels we soon was bearing
With a hundred cran of the silver darlings
That we'd taken from the shoals of herring
Now you're up on deck, you're a fisherman
You can swear and show a manly bearing
Take your turn on watch with the other fellows
While you're searching for the shoals of herring
In the stormy seas and the living gales
Just to earn your daily bread you're daring
From the Dover Straits to the Faroe Islands
As you're following the shoals of herring
O, I earned me keep and I paid me way
And I earned the gear that I was wearing
Sailed a million miles, caught ten-million fishes
We were sailing after shoals of herring
