CZTERY REFY - IAN WOODS

Family Job

Words: Ian Woods
Music: Ian Woods

My father's father used to sit just beside the bar.
He'd tell tales of fishing in waters near and far.
I'd listen to him open-mouthed as he spouted on
And I swear to do the same as a full grown man.

Looking back my grandfather, he told a tale or three
Of how many cran, how many stone he took from the sea.
His mates all smiled and nodded, and they tipped a wink or two
And at twelve years old I thought myself a member of the crew.

Fishing the Dover Straits, fishing the open sea… I was fourteen when grand-dad died; father he did say:
Tomorrow morning you can start to learn the family way.
Sure enough next morning we put out to sea
And for six long months all I did was brewed the bloody tea.

Fishing the Dover Straits, fishing the open sea… Now some of the lads got leaving went their separate ways.
I was a deckie I fished and cursed, faced the bruising waves,
I earned my share, got paid my share like any man alive
I paid with my fingers; one to the wires, one to the gutting knives.

Fishing the Dover Straits, fishing the open sea… But the herring kept on shoaling in, mackerel as well.
You could see them following the whitebait in a good ground swell
And the money kept cascading in like herring's silver scales,
Enough for a house, enough for a boat and a little bit left for ale.

Fishing the Dover Straits, fishing the open sea… But then the quotas tightened up, things got pretty rough
For the French and Spaniards come along with their deep sea stuff.
And the Russians grinding all to meal with floating factories
And many 's the local boat laid up, rusting at the quay.

There's not fishing the Dover Straits, fishing the open sea… Not often now we fill the hold for fish are getting scarce
And the way the fishing's going it'll likely get much worse,
But it's the only thing I know, it's my old family job
And I'll stick at it as long as I can earn a couple of bob.

Fishing the Dover Straits, fishing the open sea…

"Family Job" - The decline of the British fishing industry commenced in the '60s when "improved" methods of fishing were introduced, including the notorious "factory fishing" employed by among others the Russians. Erosion of fishing limits, depletion of stock, and not least, the disinterest and ineptitude shown by successive Governments meant that by the time of writing the song (1992) the industry was a mere shadow of its former self. Ten years later and we still haven't learned anything!

I. W.