A Mevagissey haul
Language: English
A Sou’ Sou’ West was blowin’ up to more than half a gale, An’ a prutty bit o’ billow talked ashore, But there baint no use for seiners as be afeared to sail, When the catches have been runnin’ light an’ poor, - So we plugged out oar to oar. Out along from old Mevagissey, O, - Beatin’ out from old Mevagissey, O, - With a sky full o’ scud blowin’ over us, An’ a stiddy brazzle plonkin’ at the bow. We shut the seine, an’ watched the light a-dancin’ green an’ red, An’ wallowed first to starboard, then to port, Until the dimsey touched the West, an’ we was slowin’ dead, An’ then we knawed ‘twas tummals we had caught, For the corks was bobbin’ short. Out along from old Mevagissey, O, - Low lay old Mevagissey, O, - When the grey dawn showed the shadows over us, And the brazzle came a lippin’ at the bow. We lugged the silver net aboard until the bilge was hid, For crates was little use for such a haul, An’ then we let the main sheet go, an’ borne along we slid, With the hellum nearly buried in a squall, But we didn’t care at all. For ‘twas home to old Mevagissy, O, - Back along to old Mevagissey, O, - With the dangers of the night blown over us, An’ a MILLION PILCHERS slitherin’ below. We tacked into the harbour with the ground-say grinding hard, An’ we bumped to berth at last ‘longside the Kay, Which was chockered up with barrels so you couldn’t step a yard, When we brought our shinin’ harvest from the say: - Now ‘tis salt an’ stawed away. An we’m home in old Mevagissey, O, - Home again in old Mevagissey, O, - With the cloud o’ winter care blown over us, Whatever winter winds may blow.
Notes (from the Sanderson score):
Seiners = Driftnet fishermen
Brazzle = Foaming wave-top
Plonkin’ = Beating
Dimsey = Twilight
Tummals = Heaps
Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson
Seiners = Driftnet fishermen
Brazzle = Foaming wave-top
Plonkin’ = Beating
Dimsey = Twilight
Tummals = Heaps
Authorship:
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Wilfred Sanderson (1878 - 1935), "A Mevagissey haul", subtitle: "A million pilchards, August 6th 1912" [voice and piano], from A Cornish haul, no. 2. [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Mike Pearson
This text was added to the website: 2016-05-17
Line count: 36
Word count: 312