Midwinter Fishing

Midwinter fishing on the wild Bering sea
Though freezing winds and through snow we’ll go 
Midwinter fishing.

1] Deep in midwinter the season gets started
When sky and ocean are black as can be.
Just a few tiny boats sail from Dutch Harbour
Risking their all on the wild Bering Sea

2] All through the night we work under the arc lights 
Snowflakes and sea spray,through wind and through rain
Pulling and hauling the sweat comes a pouring,
As soon as you stop you get frozen again.

3] Most of us dream of the money we’re making,
Pete calls it ‘Seahab’ here, far from the claws 
Of those shadowy, sharp-suited heroin dealers 
Waiting for fishermen back on the shore

4] All day and night we keep pulling and hauling
Little sleep comes to us hard-working men
Just to keep going we free-style and hip hop 
While the deck to bridge radio pumps Eminem.

5] Now we’re on shore, getting drunk in the bar room
Pete’s out the back in a heroin haze.
In a few weeks though, he’ll head back to Seahab.
That’s what the fishing’s become nowadays.

© Charlotte Oliver