The Herring Girl

Dm C Dm C Dm Bb F C Bb C Bb Dm C Oh you who look down on me with that judgement in your eyes Dm C While the jury picks its fate for me I'd have you save your sighs F Dm F C As a child with no family I was begging in the street F C Bb When great fortune came and made me a herring girl Dm C I don't come from there islands from England I have grown Dm C And born in Great Yarmouth that is my native home F Dm F C In autumn when the girls all chased the fish down from the north F C Bb How I longed that I would one day be a herring girl Dm C A young girl down from Aberdeen took sick into her bed Dm C I asked if there was work and down to Rona I was led F Dm F C Oh she smiled at the height of me and said that I would do F C Bb And as a packer I was joined to be a herring girl Dm C The season started up in Scotland, I'd just turned 16 Dm C And Rona she's the greatest gutter Stornoway has seen F Dm F C At 80 fish a minute, and with Mary not much less F C Bb We 3 were famed as the best crew of herring girls Dm C Dm C Dm Bb F C Bb C Bb Dm C Last Saturday was dancing day and the boys were in the town Dm C We were packing up and clean off and heading for our room F Dm F C When a stranger crept behind us in an alley out the back F C Bb Out to catch himself a couple of fresh herring girls Dm C Oh so suddenly he's on us and he's knocked me to the ground Dm C And he's pinned our Rona by the neck so she couldn't make a sound F Dm F C But from her apron pocket fell a knife so keen and sharp F C Bb I've taught that man the price of fishing for a herring girl Dm C Oh you who look down on me with that judgement in your eyes Dm C While the jury picks its fate for me I'd have you save your sighs F Dm F C For I'd gladly do the same again to any man that tries F C Bb To test his luck and take advantage of a herring girl Dm C Dm C Dm Bb F C Bb C Bb Bb C Bb