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My dreams as a young lad was a fisherman to be,
I'd welcome my father home from the sea;
With his hand on my shoulder and a wink in his eye,
Son, always be proud you're a fisherman's boy.
My father was a good man and proud of his trade,
He never got rich off the money he made;
But the love for his family no money could buy,
I'll always be proud I'm a fisherman's boy.
The herring would come and the caplin would go,
No squid in the fall he would go in the hole;
No corn beef or salt pork, no white bread or rye,
And I'll always be proud I'm a fisherman's boy.
The winters were long and the living was tough,
Salt fish and dough bread there wasn't enough;
He'd look at his family with a tear in his eye,
Saying always be proud you're a fisherman's boy.
The years have gone by now and the times they have changed,
To turn back the pages there's nothing to gain;
But the things I'll remember till the day that I die,
Son, always be proud you're a fisherman's boy.
His fishing had ended in the year forty-four,
His hardships his troubles no more;
If he could return now and see what I've done,
I know he'd be proud of his fisherman son.
You doctors, you lawyers, you teachers you can,
Go seek out your fortune across the great land;
But wherever you go, lads, hold your heads high,
And always be proud you're a fisherman's boy.
From the Dictionary Of Newfoundland English:
Caplin - A small, iridescent deep-water fish (Mallotus villosus) like a smelt which, followed by the cod, appears inshore during June and July to spawn along the beaches, and is netted for bait, for manuring the fields, or dried, salted, smoked, or frozen for eating.
