A' the week your man's awa'
And a' the week you bide your lane;
A' the time you're waiting for
The minute that [bad word]  hame.
Ye ken whit wha' he has tae wark,
Ye ken the hours he has tae keep;
And yet it mak's ye angry when
Ye see him [bad word] hame tae sleep.

Through the months and through the years
While you're bringing up the bairns,
Your man's awa' tae here and there
A-followin' the shoals o' herrin'
And when he's back there's nets tae mend
You've maybe got a score or twa;
And when they're done he'll rise and say,
“Wife it's time I was awa'.”

Work and wait and dree your weird,
And pin yer faith in herrin' sales;
And oftimes lie awake at nicht
In fear and dread of winter gales.
But men maun work tae earn their breid
And men maun sweat to gain their fee,
And fishermen will aye gang oot
As lang as fish swim in the sea.