Fifty six I sailed aboard
A ship called Byron One
She's carried trawler men on deck
And a harpoon whaling gunOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleA tractor for a whale winch
And the ship's an all fair mile
Twin diesels turn the screws around
She'll whale in a fine old styleOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleKeep a sharp look-out my lads
The whale he's on the run
And we'll drive him into Byron Bay
And we'll shoot him with our gunOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleThe harpoon and the line fly through
Very deep into the whale
She split the timbers of the ship
With a flurry of her tailOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleThe rugging struts are snapped in two
We reel beneath the blow
The gunner fires a killer shot
And that humpback's sent belowOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleMake the tail fast to the bows
We got no more time for bed
For four and twenty hours each day
We kept that factory fedOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleThe friends and men upon the land
Some had been Jackaroos
They skin the blubber from the whales
Like they were skinning kangaroosOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleA 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 endOh you trawlermen, come on
Forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballina we'll sail
Fishing for the humpback whaleBack in to Ballina we steered
Tied up and stowed the gear
All hands headed for the pub
And we filled ourselves with beer