Nic Jones - The Humpback Whale lyrics

Fifty-six I sailed on board A ship called Byron One She's carried trawler men on deck And a harpoon whaling gun Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale A tractor for a whale winch And the ship's an old Fairmile Twin diesels turn the screws around She'll whale in a fine old style Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale Keep a sharp look-out me lads The whale he's on the run And we'll drive him into Byron Bay And we'll shoot him with our guns Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale The harpoon and the line fly through Very deep into the whale She split the timbers of the ship With a flurry of her tail Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale The rigging struts are snapped in two We reel beneath the blow The gunner fires a k**er shot And that humpback sank below Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale Make her tail fast to the bows We've got no time for bed For four and twenty hours each day We kept that factory fed Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale The flensing men upon the land Some had been jackaroos They skin the blubber from the whales Like they're skinning kangaroos Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale A hundred whales and then fifty more Through the factory we did send And then the orders came - knock off me lads Your season's at an end Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale Back into Ballina we steered Tied up and stowed the gear All hands headed for the pub And we filled ourselves with beer Oh you trawler men, come on Forget your snapper and your prawn For it's out of Ballina we'll sail Fishing for the humpback whale