Great Big Sea

I'se the b'y that builds the boat,
And I'se the b'y that sails her!
And I'se the b'y that catches the fish
And brings 'em home to Lizer

CHORUS:
Hip yer partner Sally Tibbo'!
Hip-yer-partner Sally Brown!
Fogo, Twillingate, Morton's Harbour,
All around the circle!

Sods and rinds to cover yer flake,
Cake and tea for supper,
Codfish in the spring o' the year
Fried in maggoty butter.

CHORUS

I don't want your maggoty fish,
They're no good for winter;
Well, I can buy as good as that,
Way down in Bonavista.

CHORUS

I took Lizer to a dance,
As fast as she can travel,
And every step that she did take
Was up to her knees in gravel.

CHORUS

Susan White she's outta sight,
Her petticoat wants a border,
Well old Sam Oliver in the dark,
He kissed her in the corner!

CHORUS

I'se The B'y that builds the boat and
I'se The B'y that sails her and
I'se The B'y that catches the fish and
Brings 'em home to Liza

CHORUS

They keep talking of the things they'd do if we'd only vote them in
Said, "One more dollar and all the bickering and suffering would end."
If you'd sign your 'X' in favour it's three jobs for every man
You can burn your boats, thats what they said
It seemed they had it planned.
And I hope they haven't forgotten the promises they made.

CHORUS:
'Cause they said they'd stop the fighting
And they said they would bring peace
And they said they'd find a serum that can cure all our disease
And they said they'd house the homeless
And put black and white in tune
And they said they'd feed a hungry child
And I hope it's someday soon.

Saw a man asleep in an alley lane with a paper for a bed
And the headline shone beneath the man and this is what they read,
"If elected there would be no persons living in the street"
But the paper couldn't even provide shelter for his freezing feet.
And I hope they haven't forgotten the promises they made.

CHORUS

Well they said it would be so different, if we'd would only play their games
And I've been playing for so long and I swear its still the same!

CHORUS (x2)

A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
And Granny Snooks she lost her speech,
To me right fol didy fol dee.

A great big sea hove in the Harbour,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
A great big sea hove in the Harbour,
And hove right up to Keough's Parlour,
To me right fol didy fol dee.

Mother dear I wants a sack,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
Mother dear I wants a sack
With beads and buttons all down me back,
To me right fol didy fol dee.

Me boot is broke, me frock is tore,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
Me boot is broke, me frock is tore,
But Granny Snooks I do adore,
To me right fol didy fol dee.

Fish is gone and the flour is high,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
Fish is gone and the flour is high,
Granny Snooks she can't have I,
To me right fol didy fol dee.

She will have me in the fall,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
If she don't I'll hoist my sail
Hove right up to old Cannaille,
To me right fol didy fol dee.

A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
And Granny Snooks she lost her speech,
To me right fol didy fol dee.

I stand in my doorway as the moon rises high
Over glorious ocean, reflects the bright sky
My heart it is aching, so much I could die
I've known only the ocean, since I was a boy

CHORUS:
And I spent my whole life, out there on the sea
Some government bastard now takes it from me
It's not just the fish, they've taken my pride
I feel so ashamed that I just want to hide

I fished with my father, so long long ago
We were proud of our trade, and in us it did show
We held our heads high, there was lots of fish then
That was the time, when we were proud men

We challenged great storms and sometimes we won
Faced death and disaster, we rose with the sun.
We worked and we toiled, we strained arm and brain
We were a proud people, will we e'er be again?

CHORUS

My father is gone now, and the fish are gone too.
Abused and mis-managed, oh what can we do?
I'm too old to change, but what of my sons,
How will they know that we weren't the ones?

DFO regulations permitted the rape
Of our beautiful ocean, from head land to cape
They brought in big trollers, they tore up our twine
Politians don't care for whats yours or whats mine!

CHORUS

You brave Newfoundlanders, now listen to me
Shove the package to hell, go back to the sea
If we don't stand our ground, we will fade away
And the bones of our fathers will turn into clay

And I spent my whole life, out there on the sea
Some government bastard now takes it from me
It's not just the fish, they've taken my pride
I feel so ashamed that I just want to die.

Back to the sea.

Well, it was on this Monday morning and the day had been calm and fine.
To the Harbour Grace Excursion with the boys who have a time
And just before the sailor took the gangway from the pier
I saw some fella haul me wife aboard as a volunteer

CHORUS:
Oh me, oh my, I heard me old wife cry
Oh me, oh my, I think I'm gonna die!
Oh me, oh my, I heard me old wife say,
"I wish I'd never taken this excursion around the bay"

We had full three hundred souls aboard, oh what a splendid sight!
Matt Strong in regimentals for to make our spirits bright.
And me self being in the double, when a funny things they'd say
They choke themselves from laughing when they'd see us in the bay

CHORUS

My wife she got no better, she turned a sickly green
I fed her cake and candy, fat pork and kerosene
Castor-oil and sugar of candy, I rubbed pure oil on her face
And I said she'd be a dandy when we reaches Harbour Grace!

CHORUS

My wife she got no better, my wife me darling dear
The screeches from her throat you could hear in Carbonear
I tried every place in Harbour Grace, tried every store and shop,
To get her something for a cure or take her to the hop

CHORUS

She died below the Brandies as we were coming back
We buried her in the ocean, wrapped up in the Union Jack
So now I am a single man, in search of a pretty face
And the woman that says she'll have me, sure I'm off for Harbour Grace!

CHORUS