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Oh, — there's lots of fish in Bonavist Harbour,
Lots of fish right in around here;
Boys and girls are fishin' together,
Forty-five from Carbonear.
Oh, — Catch-a-hold this one,
Catch-a-hold that one,
Swing around this one, swing around she;
Dance around this one, dance around that one,
Diddle dum this one, diddle dum dee.
Oh, — Sally got a bouncin' new baby,
Father said that he didn't care
Because he liked the feller from Fortune,
What was down here fishin' last year.
Oh, — Catch-a-hold this one,
Catch-a-hold that one,
Swing around this one, swing around she;
Dance around this one, dance around that one,
Diddle dum this one, diddle dum dee.
Oh, — Sally goes to church every Sunday,
Not for to sing nor for to hear;
But to see the feller from Fortune,
What was down here fishin' last year.
Oh, — Catch-a-hold this one,
Catch-a-hold that one,
Swing around this one, swing around she;
Dance around this one, dance around that one,
Diddle dum this one, diddle dum dee.
Published on p.9 of Songs Of Newfoundland, a complimentary booklet of lyrics to twenty-one songs distributed free by the Bennett Brewing Co. Ltd., of St. John's, NL, with the cooperation of Gerald S. Doyle, Ltd. Also published in Gerald S. Doyle's Old-Time Songs And Poetry Of Newfoundland: Songs Of The People From The Days Of Our Forefathers (Third edition, p.23, 1955).
A variant was also collected by Kenneth Peacock and published as Lots Of Fish In Bonavist Harbour in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 1, pp.53-54, by The National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved. A variant was also recorded as Lots Of Fish In Bonavist Harbour, on Kenneth Peacock's album, Songs And Ballads Of Newfoundland, Folkways FG 3505, LP (1956), cut #A.03.
A variant was recorded by Rankin Street (Pre-GBS tape — Live At The Blarneystone Pub in St. John's, NL, trk#10, 1991, NRA Productions, Ltd).
See more songs by Great Big Sea.
The variant in the YouTube video above was recorded as Fella From Fortune by Ryan's Fancy (Dance Around This One ©1981, Boot Records).
See more songs by Ryan's Fancy.
The shorter variant in the YouTube video below is from a live performance by Ryan's Fancy during a trip on the Bonavista Line for their CBC Television series.
The Bonavista branch of Newfoundland's narrow-gauge trans-insular railway was completed in 1913, and served the peninsula from 1915 through the summer of 1983. The very last run on the branch line departed Bonavista at 2:08 on November 19, 1988, with five cars and locomotive #802.
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Notes On Guitar Tabs:
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All guitar tabs have been contributed by visitors to this site and represent their interpretation of the tune. We are unable to verify their accuracy.
Oh, [G] — there's lots of fish in Bonavist Harbour
[C] Lots of fish right in around [G] here.
[G] Boys and girls are fishin' together
[C] Forty-five from [D] Carbo- [G] near.
