Sorry about the thread creep, but these are the words which I use for "Little Fishes". The second and fifth verses are my own
.

The crew are asleep and the ocean's at rest,
I'm singing this song for the one I love best.
Sing, Hey little fishes don't cry, don't cry.
Sing, Hey little fishes don't cry, don't cry.

The seas they do crash and the winds they do wail,
With our storm-jib close-reefed we will ride out the gale.

Now the ship sails along and the weather is fine,
The skipper's gone aft, laying out some more line.

Little fish when he's caught, fights just like a great whale,
And he thrashes the water with his tiny tail.

As the fish come aboard how the scales they do gleam,
While over our heads all the herring-gulls scream.

Repeat first verse.


Wasn't it a hurdy-gurdy that Spenser Tracy accompanied himself on in the film ? It's a great film, but I once heard that they wrote off quite a lot of lovely top-sail schooners making it - evidently it was during the depression and they bought them up dirt cheap.