Times Of The Rigs

Times Of The Rigs

Times Of The Rigs appears on the album East Side Story

Sid says:

"This song was written by my Uncle George. When they started with the North Sea oil that was like a sort of gold rush - except it was for oil, of course. A lot of people thought they'd be able to put out in their boats and fish some oil out of the sea, but of course, they couldn't. Not then. Now they can, though, due to all these tankers having oil leaks. I had one of them on my Zodiac once, but in them days people thought nothing of it. I mean, in them days an oiled sea bird was a WREN who'd had a few. We used too keep a sharp eye out for them, and if we saw one we called the RSPCA - that was because Percy Spratt worked for them, and he had a thing about uniforms. Now my uncle George have a thing about uniforms, but there's nothing he can do about it."

There's strange things afoot down at Yarmouth,

And I don't mean the Isle of Wight!

'Cos they reckon there aren't no more herring,

And the mackerel and haddock won't bite.

Now me father was fishing before me,

And me mother was in the marines,

So when they told me there was money in oil

I thought they were talking sardines.

Whack all the day, diddle all the day,

Whack and diddle all the day, I do.

But one day I was lying down below,

Just sucking on a fisherman's friend,

When the mate cried out "Slick off the port bow",

Well I come quick, as you may depend.

"Three sheets to the wind", I commanded,

"Turn the capstan full strength to the rear;

Splice the main brace, whack the diddle in place,

And stand by to haul out your gear".

Well I put me glass eye in me eye glass

And I felt the warm wind on me cheek;

I hoist me son over the yard arm,

And up on that slick we did sneak.

We drifted, we trawled and we longlined,

We baited our hooks and our breath;

But each time we thought we'd hauled it high and dry

We saw it was still low and wet.

All night we struggled to land him,

But he beat us, whatever we tried.

So I lit my old pipe while I pondered,

And flicked the match over the side.

And blast, when they said there was money

In oil, well they sure never lied;

We was blown back to port in ten seconds short,

With a deck full of fish, ready fried!