Skip to content
Gavin Atkin's weblog for the sort of people who like looking inside boat sheds. It's about old boats, traditional boats, boat building, restoration, the sea and the North Kent Coast
Lovely to listen to an original recording of a real old fisherman. However, I only managed to make out about 50 per cent of the words, if that, due to the old recording and the lovely accent. So, I looked up the poem, and and having found it, though that I would share it to help others having the same difficulty. It’s the second poem on this page: http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/alphabet.htm
Well spotted Kathy. So it seems this amazing 24-verse version was known in at least two places.
I guess you’ve heard Mick Nolan singing the Bargeman’s Alphabet, which is similar to the first set of lyrics quoted by Mike Yates in his Mustrad article. I think he /probably/ got it from a recording of Bob Roberts.
I seem dimly to recall that there was a barge called XYZ, vtw.
G
Yes, I’ve heard Mick singing the Bargeman’s Alphabet, and wondered how he managed to remember it all!
I think the Fisherman’s Alphabet is a wonderful poem.