...or Pick The Bones Out Of These! 
Shoals of Herring
With our nets and gear we're faring
On the wild and wasteful ocean.
Its there that we hunt and we earn our bread,
As we hunted for the shoals of herring.
O it was a fine and a pleasant day,
Out of Yarmouth harbour I was faring,
As a cabinboy on a sailing lugger,
For to go and hunt the shoals of herring.
O the work was hard and the hours 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 cook and I'd a quarter sharing.
And I used to sleep standing on my 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 were bearing.
With a hundred cran of 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 Isles,
As you're following the shoals of herring.
O I earned my keep and I paid my 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.
(Traditional Song)
Herring Song
As many fine fishes as swim with the tide
Sing aberamvane, sing aberoling
My herrings the king of them all in their pride
Sing aberamvane, sing aberoling
Sing fishes, sing tide, sing king, sing pride
Sing aberamvane, sing aberoling
And indeed I have more of my herring to sing
Sing aberamvane, sing aberoling
What do you think I made of his eyes?
Forty five puddings and forty five pies
What do you think I made of his mouth?
As many red cherries as grow in the South
What do you think I made of his tail?
The finest ship that ever set sail
What do you think I made of his belly?
A sweet little girl and her name it was Nelly
The man in the wilderness said to me
"How many strawberries grow in the sea?"
I answered him as I thought goo
"As many red herring as grow in the wood."
(Robin Williamson)
North Sea Holes
Come all you gallant fishermen that plough the stormy sea,
The whole year round on the fishing grounds
On the Northern Minch and the Norway Deeps,
On the banks and knolls of the North Sea Holes
Where the herring shoals are found.
It's there you'll find the Norfolk boys and the lads from Peterhead,
There's Buckie chiels and men from Shields,
On the Northern Minch and the Norway Deeps,
On the banks and knolls of the North Sea Holes
Where the herring shoals are found.
From Fraserborough and Aberdeen, from Whitby, Yarmouth Town,
The fleet's away at the break of day
To the Northern Minch and the Norway Deeps,
To the banks and knolls of the North Sea Holes
Where the herring shoals are found.
It's off with a boiler full of steam and your engine spic and span
To fish the grounds the North Sea round
And fish and knolls and the North Sea Holes
And try your luck at the North Shields Gut
With a catch of a hundred cran.
No need to wait for the wind and tide, you're the master of the sea,
Come calm or squall, just shoot and haul
And fill the hold with the fish to be sold
And steam ahead for the curing shed
And the buyers on the Yarmouth quay.
Come all you gallant fishermen that plough the stormy sea,
The whole year round on the fishing grounds
On the Northern Minch and the Norway Deeps,
On the banks and knolls of the North Sea Holes
Where the herring shoals are found.
(Ewan MacColl)
