Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish / Skipper Tom

Subject: Trying to find the name and writer of this song.
From:
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 01:15 PM

I am looking for the writer and the name of the ballad with the following lyrics.. Not sure if it makes sense to anyone.

I goes on a hunt and away I just straddled, look for me pond. And every each straddle I made it's so fair, saying, dis is the summer we'll all get our share. We left the stagehead and we set ourselves straight, with a flashing time braising on top of fresh bait. Flashing fine mansalt, fully fine jib. Crooked nose punter, she sails like a squid. She steers like a rigger, she makes the big lop, when our scipper "Harry" heard a fish stop. He came too, so fair, love, I dear, I's by, said there's neither one here. so I go out further and have a look around for I heard that there were some small fish off the shore ground. We hauled up our grapel,________________ We shipped off our oars, see how far she goes, now. Give. Tommy lay down on the broad of his back, between sleeping and waking , he heard his line crack. Now, young scipper Harry better pull him the slack. Said when he breaks water, I'll jump on his back. The day she broke water, what a wonderful day. When out of his mouth a hook of dismay. Give Harry, what a wonderful frown. How hard he came up, but how light he came down. In the sweet month of August when the liver been plumned. we had a big bungeon__________.Full to the brim. Now Women, Now women, you may get your wish you can say what you like " We're three devils per fish".

Subject: RE: unknown
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 01:38 PM

It could well be from Newfoundland, but that's purely guessing on my part. Anyway I thought I'd stick in the line breaks to encourage someone else to chase up this very interesting looking song. (Some of the line breaks and verse breaks might be in the wrong place, and it reads like a few words are missing here and there.)

I goes on a hunt and away I just straddled,
look for me pond.
And every each straddle I made it's so fair,
saying, dis is the summer we'll all get our share.

We left the stagehead and we set ourselves straight,
with a flashing time braising on top of fresh bait.
Flashing fine mansalt, fully fine jib.
Crooked nose punter, she sails like a squid.

She steers like a rigger, she makes the big lop,
when our scipper "Harry" heard a fish stop.
He came too, so fair, love, I dear,
I's by, said there's neither one here.

So I go out further and have a look around
for I heard that there were some small fish off the shore ground.
We hauled up our grapel,________________ We shipped off our oars,
see how far she goes, now. Give.

Tommy lay down on the broad of his back,
between sleeping and waking, he heard his line crack.
Now, young skipper Harry, better pull him the slack.
Said when he breaks water, I'll jump on his back.

The day she broke water, what a wonderful day.
When out of his mouth a hook of dismay.
Give Harry, what a wonderful frown.
How hard he came up, but how light he came down.

In the sweet month of August when the liver been plumned.
we had a big bungeon__________.Full to the brim.
Now Women, Now women, you may get your wish
you can say what you like " We're three devils per fish".

Subject: RE: unknown
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Feb 00 - 02:17 PM

can ye e-mail him to come back, too? I'm tied up today

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish (Newfoundland)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Sep 11 - 06:06 PM

I found a song called THREE DEVILS FOR FISH in a book called The Book of Newfoundland by Joseph R. Smallwood (St. Johns: Newfoundland Book Publishers, Ltd., 1967), page 437.

The first verse is:

O my lamp did go out, for my clothes on the hunt,
Away I did saddle to look for my punt,
And every straddle I made it so fair,
Saying, "This is the summer we'll all get our share."

Subject: Lyr Add:SKIPPER TOM (trad Newfoundland)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 13 Sep 11 - 06:49 PM

From a Google of

Skipper Tom (Collected by Kenneth Peacock)

####################################################

Skipper Tom (Collected by Kenneth Peacock)

I scarce been in bed three ticks of the clock,
When at me back door I heard a loud knock,
'Twas first a loud knock and then a loud call,
It was old Skipper Tom, how loud he do bawl!

The night being so dark all the lights were gone out,
To get in my boat I scrambled about,
And down o'er the bank I steered 'er so straight,
With a whipping fine breeze and a tub of fresh bait.

Down to the sunker I anchored so fair,
Hand over me lines and never one tear,
Skipper Tom he laid down on the broad of his back,
Either 'sleep or awake he could hear his line crack.

Then up spoke the skipper, "Don't let your line slack,
For when he breaks water I'll be on his back!"
The fish he broke water, gave a wonderful swish,
When out of his mouth two hooks he did twist.

Skipper Tom he looked forward with a wonderful frown,
How hard he comes up and how light he goes down!
"I'll go to my bread basket get something to eat,
Then go aloft to as far as the cleat."

He then went aloft and spied all around,
A trifle of small fish around the shore ground,
The skipper he then came down from aloft,
The skipper he had his fat daggers cut off.

He ate his fat dagger and well licked his chin,
"We'll haul up our grapples and go no further in."
We had a whipping fine mainsail and a sporting fine jib,
A crooked-nosed punt and she sailed like a squid.

In the sweet month of August when the liver was plump,
We had our big puncheon chuck full to the bung,
Saying Missus, oh, Missus, you may hold your wish,
You can say what you like we're the devils for fish.




####.... Author unknown. Original Newfoundland song collected in 1952 from Alfred Israel Mahaney of Fogo, NL, by Kenneth Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.143-144, by The National Museum Of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved. ....####

Kenneth Peacock noted that the composer of this native fishing song is unknown, though Mr. Mahaney assured him he was born somewhere in the Fogo area. Peacock also commented that in Newfoundland the word 'wonderful' performs the same colloquial function as the word 'terrible' in general usage ("My, it's wonderful warm today!").

From the Dictionary Of Newfoundland English:
Liver - cod liver from which a commercially valuable oil is produced.
Puncheon - largest of the wooden casks once used as containers in the fisheries, usually made of oak and bound with steel hoops, about 4 feet high and 3 feet wide, and containing up to 140 gallons.
Sunker - submerged rock over which the sea breaks; sunken rock.

From Princeton University WordNet Search:
Bung - plug used to close a hole in a barrel or flask.



I expect that it would also appear on the GEST site.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish (Newfoundland)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Sep 11 - 07:26 PM

Yes, in GEST.

Gest Songs

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish (Newfoundland)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 13 Sep 11 - 07:34 PM

Many thanks, Q.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish (Newfoundland)
From: GUEST,GEST
Date: 13 Sep 11 - 08:45 PM

Thanks for the attribution, Q. That page was copied directly from GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador who got the lyrics from you several years ago. ;-)

Subject: Lyr Add: THREE DEVILS FOR FISH (Newfoundland)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Sep 11 - 08:53 AM

Here's the rest of the song I quoted earlier, from The Book of Newfoundland:


THREE DEVILS FOR FISH

O my lamp did go out, for my clothes on the hunt,
Away I did saddle to look for my punt,
And every straddle I made it so fair,
Saying, "This is the summer we'll all get our share."

O we left the stage-head and we steered her out straight,
A slashing fine breeze and a tub of fresh bait,
A slashing fine mainsail and a bully fine jib,
A crooked nose punt, and she sails like a squid.

She steers like a rigger, she mounts the big lop,
But hark, Skipper Harry, I hear a fish chop;
It was off to the Sunker we come to so fair;
'Twas over our lines, boys, and there's ne'er a one here.

O crawl into the cuddy, crawl in, my old cock,
Haul out me oil trousers, likewise me oil frock;
O lie down, Skipper Harry; get up, Skipper Tom.
You don't know the moment they may sheer along.

Skipper Harry laid down on the broad of his back,
Half asleep and half awakened he heard his line crack.
Up jumps Skipper Harry to pull in the slack,
Saying, "When he breaks water I'll be on his back."

The fish it broke water with a wonderful dash,
And out of his mouth the hook it did smash.
Skipper Tommy looked forward with a wonderful frown,
Saying, "How hard he came up but how light he's gone down!

"I'll go up for'ard and have a look around.
I think there's some small fish on the shoal-ground."
We hauled up the grapnel, the wind about sou',
We crossed on our oars, saying, "How fast she goes now!"

In the sweet month of August, the liver being plum,
We had a big puncheon chock full to the bung.
O woman, O woman, you may have your wish,
For say what you will, we're three devils for fish.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish (Newfoundland)
From: GUEST,999
Date: 17 Sep 11 - 09:44 AM

GEST: Pardon me all to heck and back. I missed the following which was on the bottom of the page:

Index Page
GEST Songs Of Newfoundland And Labrador

I'm very sorry. Apologies (and thanks).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish (Newfoundland)
From: Artful Codger
Date: 17 Sep 11 - 01:06 PM

Any hope of a tune?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Three Devils for Fish / Skipper Tom
From: GUEST,Sol Foster
Date: 02 Jul 16 - 08:59 AM

AC, try https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiCwqkGzx74&t=4m20s

(BTW, looking at it, I suspect this video is the source of the first transcription on this thread.)