Ballina Whalers

[Verse 1]
In '56 I sailed on board
A ship called Byron One
She carried trawler men on deck
And a harpoon whaling gun
With a tractor as a whale winch
The ship an old Fairmile
Twin diesels turned the props around
We whaled the Aussie style

[Chorus]
Heigh-ho ye trawler men, come on
Forget the snapper and the prawn
And it's out of Ballina we'll sail
A-fishing for the humpback whale

[Verse 2]
So keep a sharp lookout me lads
For the whale is on the run
And we'll chase 'em into Byron Bay
And we'll kill them with our gun
The harpoon and the line fly true
Bedding deep into the whale
And she split the timbers of the ship
With a flurry of her tail

[Chorus]
Heigh-ho ye trawler men, come on
Forget the snapper and the prawn
And it's out of Ballina we'll sail
A-fishing for the humpback whale

[Verse 3]
The rigging struts were snapped in two
We reeled beneath the blow
Then the gunner fired a killer shot
And the humpback sank below
Now make her tail fast to the bow
We've got no time for bed
For four-and-twenty hours each day
We kept that factory fed

[Chorus]
Heigh-ho ye trawler men, come on
Forget the snapper and the prawn
And it's out of Ballina we'll sail
A-fishing for the humpback whale

[Verse 4]
The flensing men upon the land
Some had been jackaroos
But they skinned the blubber off them whales
Like they skinned the kangaroo
One hundred whales and fifty more
To the factory we did send
Till a message said, "Knock off, me lads
The season's at an end"

[Chorus]
Heigh-ho ye trawler men, come on
Forget the snapper and the prawn
And it's out of Ballina we'll sail
A-fishing for the humpback whale

[Verse 5]
Back in to Ballina we sailed
Tied up and stowed the gear
Then all hands headed for the pub
And we filled ourselves with beer

[Chorus]
Heigh-ho ye trawler men, come on
Forget the snapper and the prawn
And it's out of Ballina we'll sail
A-fishing for the humpback whale