Feb 2022 folk shanty ships fishing oil disaster random-wikipedia
I decided to try the random wikipedia page challenge the FAWM twitter bot posted, and (I swear!) the very first page it took me to was this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegean_Sea_tanker_oil_spill
The thing you should know is that, outside of music, I'm a professor of environmental studies, and the areas of my current academic research are 1) fisheries, and 2) the environmental effects of shipping. So I had to write this song.
Bay of Biscay
We caught fish here like our fathers before
Mackerel and megrim and haddock
With our nets full, we would bring back to shore
What we’d hauled from the Bay of Biscay
It’s not easy always fixing the gear
Dodging the waves and the weather
But we knew that the life we made here
Could never be taken away
And oh oh we lived our life on the ocean
And oh oh we fed ourselves from the sea
But oh oh there was no way we could know
There was no guarantee
That December there arose such a storm
We knew to stay safe in the harbor
But a tanker it was too late to warn
First foundered and then ran aground
We sent boats out and we rescued the crew
But nothing could safeguard the vessel
It caught fire and then split in two
The oil headed straight for our town
And oh oh we lived our life on the ocean
And oh oh we fed ourselves from the sea
But oh oh there was no way we could know
There was no guarantee
They attempted to clean up the mess
They hauled out debris, sand, and water
But the oil killed the fish nonetheless
Our whole way of life has been lost
Three months later the captain was fined
His negligence caused this disaster
But no matter how guilt was assigned
We’re the ones bearing the cost
And oh oh we lived our life on the ocean
And oh oh we fed ourselves from the sea
But oh oh there was no way we could know
There was no guarantee
We caught fish here, in the Bay of Biscay . . .
© Beth DeSombre 2022 (FAWM #12)
@leka Mar 2022
Touching performance. Lovely guitar and your voice is amazing. Good storytelling.
@berni1954 Mar 2022
A fine sea song. Very reminiscent of somethign Stan Rogers might have written.
@mikedelaney Mar 2022
I think the wiki page found you. nice job. and isn't one of your books called "Fish". Something fishy is going on.
@kenmattsson Feb 2022
Great story telling here. The lyrics are so visual and concrete, which is something I struggle with.
As usual, your playing and singing is delightful.
Just one little thing: this isn't a shanty. A shanty is a work song with a very strong beat that clues people to pull or push at the same time.
@eas3637 Feb 2022
Whoa - I can't believe this is what you got! And hooray for shanties! This is so, so good, Beth. Great storytelling, such a tight and smart rhyme scheme, and the chorus is amazing. I love the repetition of the "oh" at the beginning of each line.
@johnstaples Feb 2022
Ahh, so beautiful! The gentle guitar picking, your lovely vocals, this sad story. It all comes together in such a pretty ballad! This reminds me of Joan Baez and Gordon Lightfoot. I just love a song that means something. That tells a story. That shares all of the emotion. This song does all of that and more! Really outstanding write and performance!
Side note: I just watched My Name is Salt so I was already considering the rather tenuous grasp folks who depend on such a living have in the modern world.
@mikeb Feb 2022
Not so 'random' Wiki find! A great story-telling from the point of view of the fishermen.
@ayehahmur Feb 2022
Sometimes a random event just unlocks something that was meant to be all along. Really like this. The ripple and sway of the guitar work is beautiful, and I love the melody, especially in the chorus. This is really a lovely piece of serendipity.
@danvaillancourt Feb 2022
What a perfect subject for the random wiki page to pick considering your background. I like the very solid bass line in the picking throughout and like that little bass walk into the choruses is a nice touch. I love based-on-a-true story writing and you do it so well! Great listen.
@midwayfair Feb 2022
I do love a good sea story.
Couple suggestions if this gets a revisit: name and shame the boat (even if it’s not real). Would have been nice to name the town too.
The last two lines of the chorus could use a little something but I’m not sure what. It just doesn’t feel final enough or directly related to the story.
@tseaver Feb 2022
Good write, and a great lament for their loss. The particularities ("mackerel, megrim, and haddock") nail the attention of the listener.
@colgoo Feb 2022
I love when you sing your sea shanties! Rollicking rhythm with great storyline.
@oswlek Feb 2022
Wow. There's something really disarming about having such a tragic story delivered in a calm, gentle musical setting. Add in the modern elements of the story in a song that sounds like it otherwise could have been about a wreck in the 1800s, and there's a whole lot of pieces and emotions that fly around while I listen. It's a really moving experience.
The lyric is stellar. It's clear you had insight that allowed you to don the character in a way I never could. Well done.
@mikegtz Feb 2022
Nice song but an awful story, Beth. So much damage.