Shoals of Herring
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"Shoals of Herring" is a song written by British singer-songwriter and folk song collector Ewan MacColl for a 1960 BBC radio ballad titled "Singing the Fishing". The program focused on the business of herring fishing, and this song specifically focused on the life story of Sam Larner, a retired fisherman and traditional singer from a small fishing village in Norfolk.[1]
The Longest Johns released a YouTube cover of the song on 10 Jan 2024.
Lyrics
With the nets and gear we're faring
On the wild and wasteful ocean
It's there in the deep we harvest and reap our bread
As we hunt the bonny shoals of herring
Oh, 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
Oh, 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
Oh, we fished the Swarte 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
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 fellas
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
Oh, 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