I learned the preamble as:

With our nets and gear we're faring
On the wide and wasteful ocean
It's there on the deep that we harvest and we reap our bread
As we hunt the bonny shoals of herring.

(Obviously it needs a rather different tune, esp. in the long third line, and the one I sing has a rather high twiddly bit - v. diff. - in the second line).

Have I got this all arsy-versy or has anyone else heard of it like this?

Steve