Great Big Sea - Fisherman's Lament lyrics

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

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 ere be again?

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
Politicians don't care for what's
Yours or what's mine!

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