The Humpback Whale - Richard Shindell

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 killer 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