The Shoals Of Herring Lyrics - Phil Ochs

Pre>6/4 time 

C 

1. o, it was a fine and a plea - sant day 

G 

Out of yar - mouth har-bour I was far - ing 

C g (f) (g) c 

As a cab - in boy on a sail - ing lug - ger 

F g7 

For to go and hunt the shoals of her - ring 

2. 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 

3. o, we finished 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 shaols of herring 

4. o, we left the home grounds in the month of june 

And to canny shiels we soon were bearing 

With a hundred cran of the silver darlings 

That we'd taken from the shoals of herring 

5. now your 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 

6. in the stormy seas and the living gales 

Just to earn your daily bread your daring 

From the dover straits to the faroe islands, 

As your following the shoals of herring 

7. o, I earned me keep and I paid me way 

And I eaned the gear I was wearing 

Sailed a million miles, caught ten million fishes 

We were sailing after shoals of herring 

(the original radio version had a different first verse which has a 

Slightly different melody it goes as follows) 

4/4 time 

C 

With our nets and gear we're far - ing 

G 

On the wild and waste - ful o - cean 

F 

It's there on the deep that we (6/4 time) har - vest 

G c f g 

And reap our bread as hunt the bon - ny shoals of her - 

C 

Ring 

/pre>