We shipped on board the Maryanne

To find a better life

And we walked across the water

When she broke up on the ice

We came ashore in Carbonear

With nothing but our rights

And I wondered if I e'er again

Would see my London lights



We were far from the shores of England

Far from our children and wives

To play our hand in the Newfoundland

Where the wind cuts like a knife

We were far from the shores of England

Far from our native soil

To chase a wish and hunt the Fish

And on the rocks to toil

We were far from the shores of England



We spend our days amid the waves

Working water, hook and twine

We would go for weeks with blistered cheeks

Waiting for the sun to shine

But as long as the sky hold over us

We will not taste the brine

And we'll curse the cod

With the fear of God

As we haul in every line



Should we find Fortune's Favour

And be spared from the gale

We will live off honest labour

With our hearts as big as sails

But if I should die don't bury me

Or leave me to the sea

Please send my bones back to my home

Where my spirit can be free