ON BOARD A WE'RE , SAILING!

1 His verse Alan All I'll sing you now a wherryman's song 1 The mast goes up The mast goes up On board a wherry The sail goes up The sail goes up I'll tell you how we get along. The wind will blow The wind will blow On board a wherry All: We're sailing, sailing! We need the tide and the wind to blow and one more thing to make us go, 2 Our Dad will steer Our Dad will steer that's a tea-pot boiling down below. Our Mum makes tea Our Mum makes tea On board a wherry. And we all help And we all help We're brewing, brewing! 2 Her verse I've always lived on board a ; 3 The river flows The river flows On board a wherry The river bends The river bends I've brought me children up afloat. We work her round We work her round On board a wherry We're steering, steering! And when that's coming on to blow we send the children down below, 4 A bridge appears A bridge appears but the tea-pot's always on the go. The sail comes down The sail comes down On board a Norfolk wherry. The mast does too The mast does too We're shooting, shooting! 3 His verse Just keep your eye on the wind and sky; 5 The bridge is past The bridge is past On board a wherry The mast goes up The mast goes up there's always some-one passing by. The sail does too The sail does too On board a wherry We're sailing, sailng! We don't get time to say a lot, just "Where are you bound?" and 6 The cargo's in The cargo's in "What've you got?" The cargo's out The cargo's out and then tha's time for another pot. We fetch another We fetch another On board a Norfolk wherry. We're working, working!

4 Their verse 7 The sun will shine The sun will shine To shoot a bridge is quite a trick; The rain will fall The rain will fall On board a wherry The frost will come The frost will come the sail and mast they come down quick. We're freezing, freezing! On board a wherry Tha's easy if you've got the tide, 8 We reach the staithe We reach the staithe then through the bridge you quickly glide The sail comes down The sail comes down and have a brew on the other side We moor for the night We moor for the night On board a Norfolk wherry. We're mooring, mooring!

9 The sun goes down The sun goes down The day is done The day is done We eat and sleep We eat and sleep We're sleeping, sleeping. Sleeping. Sleeping. Sleeping.

AH / NWT 2017 THE UPTON WHERRYMAN THE DAY WE WENT ON

1 Oh me name is John Helsdon, 1 At Staithe we saw her, a wherryman I; history afloat at Upton, near Acle, I dwell. and at the shed we boarded her, I'm a dealer in coal a Norfolk working boat. and a carrier too, With no engine and no luxuries; and a husband and father as well. for over a hundred year I've three growing children the Albion has sailed and though we are poor we're content. and will never disappear. Like me father before me The day we went on Albion I know every broad; we never shall forget. all me life on the river I've spent. 2 We made some knots and sometimes Chorus I've sailed the North River, we even got them right! the Ant and the Thurne, We made some rope from bits of string I've known them both wild and still, and twisted it so tight. but the best sight of all's The big black sail goes high above when we make the last turn, the trees, where strong winds blow, and there's old Davy's mill. but comes down in an instant when under the bridge you go. 2 I've been thirty years sailing The day we went on Albion and fifteen years wed we never shall forget. to a Gorleston girl, Anna-Marie. Young Lorina's just like her; 3 Among the cargos that they took a hard-working girl; from place to place, you'd find but George was drowned at just three. coal and carrots, pigs and porter Young Woodbine and John, worstead, wheat and wine. when they sail with me, make a good crew, Barrels of beer, rope and reed, so I hope they'll take over sugar beet and bricks; when I get too old, thirty tons of sand one day, and they'll be wherrymen too. cement or ice the next. The day we went on Albion 3 Oh we sail up to we never shall forget. and to East Ruston too and every staithe on the way 4 We squeezed into the Cuddy where we unload our coal and we nearly banged our heads; and then set off again; we saw the stove for cooking we try to get back the same day. as we sat along the beds. But sometimes we run up to Norwich Lots of lockers everywhere or through Oulton Broad, for storing food and tea, then we moor at the pub but not a sink or table for a pint and a chat, nor an armchair or TV! then go back and sleep on board. The day we went on Albion we never shall forget. 4 Now to Yarmouth we go once or twice every week; 5 We tried to lift a heavy weight in the harbour we moor alongside. but it was hard we found; Then it's off with the hatches but the pulleys made it easy and in with the coal to lift it off the ground. and back if we can with the tide. Then sandwiches and singing, But once the old gal proudly and to the bus we went; pushed her nose out past the pier we never shall forget the day to a collier at anchor on Albion we spent! in a sea like a pond, The day we went on Albion as smooth as Horsey Mere.