No More Fish, No Fishermen
(Shelly Posen)

Out along the harbour reach

Boats stand dried up on the beach

Ghost-like in the early dawn

Empty, now the fish are gone.

What will become of people now?

Try to build a life somehow

Hard, hard times are back again

No more fish, no fishermen.

No more shoppers in the stores

Since the fish plant closed its doors

Men who walked a trawler's decks

Now line up for welfare cheques.

There's big "For Sale" signs everywhere

Pockets empty, cupboards bare

See it on the news at ten

No more fish, no fishermen.

Once from Ship Cove to Cape Race

Port aux Basques to Harbour Grace

Newfoundlanders fished for cod

Owing merchants, trusting God.

They filled their dories twice a day

They fished their poor sweet lives away

They could not imagine then

No more fish, no fishermen.

Back before the Second War

We could catch our fish inshore

Boats were small and gear was rough

We caught fish, but left enough.

And now there's no more fish because

The trawler fleets took all there was

We could see it coming then

No more fish, no fishermen.

Farewell now to stage and flake

Get out for the children's sake

Leave all friends and kin behind

Take whatever job you find.

There's some that say things aren't so black

They say the fish will all come back

Who'll be here to catch them then?

No more fish, no fishermen.