THE SMACKSMAN
Sam Larner

Once I was a schoolboy and stayed at home with ease.
Now I am a smacksman and I plough the raging seas.
I thought I'd like seafaring life but very soon I found
It was not all plain sailing, boys, when out on the fishing ground.

Chorus
Coil away the trawl warp, boys, let's heave in the trawl.
When we get our fish on board we'll have another haul.
Straightway to the capstan and merrily heave her round,
That's the cry in the middle of the night: 'Haul the trawl, boys, haul'

Every night in winter, as reg'lar as the clock
We put on our old sou'westers, likewise our oilskin frock,
And straightway to the capstan and merrily spin away,
That's the cry in the middle of the night: 'Haul the trawl, boys, haul'.

When we get our fish on board we have then all to gut
We put them into baskets and down the ice-locker put.
We ice them, we size them, we ice them all quite well
We ice them and keep them safely like an oyster in his shell.