Ballina Whalers


Fifty-six I sailed on board

A ship called Byron One

She's carried trawler men on deck

And a harpoon whaling gun


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


A tractor for a whale winch

And the ship's an old Fairmile

Twin diesels turn the screws around

She'll whale in a fine old style


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


Keep a sharp look-out me lads

The whale he's on the run

And we'll drive him into Byron Bay

And we'll shoot him with our guns


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


The harpoon and the line fly through

Very deep into the whale

She split the timbers of the ship

With a flurry of her tail


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


The rigging struts are snapped in two

We reel beneath the blow

The gunner fires a killer shot

And that humpback sank below


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


Make her tail fast to the bows

We've got no time for bed

For four and twenty hours each day

We kept that factory fed


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


The flensing men upon the land

Some had been jackaroos

They skin the blubber from the whales

Like they're skinning kangaroos


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


A hundred whales and then fifty more

Through the factory we did send

And then the orders came - knock off me lads

Your season's at an end


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale


Back into Ballina we steered

Tied up and stowed the gear

All hands headed for the pub

And we filled ourselves with beer


Oh you trawler men, come on

Forget your snapper and your prawn

For it's out of Ballina we'll sail

Fishing for the humpback whale