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about

Halibut fishing became a thriving industry in BC once railways opened up a market for halibut on the East Coast. Captains and their crews endured rough conditions in order to bring the freshest fish to market. This song captures both the roughness of the dorymens’ lifestyle, as well as the identity and camaraderie that they experienced on halibut schooners.

lyrics

Oh some can sit in their swivel chairs,
Midst the cities’ rush and rumour,
And fret o’er the cares of the world’s affairs
And the woes of the poor consumer.
But I don’t envy such gilded ease,
Just give the salt-soaked ocean breeze.
The lift and surge of the white-capped seas,
And the deck of a halibut schooner.

Yes, give me a packet that’s sound and tight
And a skipper with guts to boom her,
Up under the heel of the Northern Lights,
Where the grey seas strive to doom her.
Through the grinding ice, where the ground lines freeze,
Through the howling gales and the pounding seas –
For it’s in such tranquil spots as these,
You must drive with a halibut schooner.

And then, when our schooner is safe in port
And we land in a boisterous humor,
We thank the gods that our stay is short
And wish we were leaving sooner.
We’re rough and we’re coarse and we’re loud – What then?
We’re the salt of the earth; we’re dorymen –
And tomorrow night we’ll be off again
To the banks in a halibut schooner.

credits

from Settler's Songs of the Pacific Northwest, released June 2, 2017
Philip Thomas records the following statement from A.K. Larsen: “I found a typewritten copy of ‘The Doryman’ in a locker I was cleaning out on joint the diesel schooler Aleutian in 1939. I showed it to the rest of the crew but they knew nothing of its origin.”

Thomas, Philip J., and Shirley A. Cox. Songs of the Pacific Northwest. Ed. Jon Bartlett. 2nd ed. Surrey, BC: Hancock House, 2007. Print. pgs 178-183, 203.

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Katie Green and Karen Hefford Vancouver, British Columbia

katieandkaren.com


Katie Green and Karen Hefford are two musicians from Vancouver who combine classical and folk music influences. Their close-knit harmonies and varied instrumentation bring a fresh interpretation to traditional songs. ... more

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