Herring Gibbers, The

DESCRIPTION: "It's all about the herring gibbers and how they get along." The packers and gibbers wake and cannot find their pants or socks. Some others laugh at the joke. The song names the captain, second hand, cook and one leaving Newfoundland.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1958 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: fishing sea ship derivative moniker
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Peacock, pp. 132-135, "The Herring Gibbers" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #667
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. Freeman Bennett, "The Herring Gibbers" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
Joshua Osborne, "The Herring Gibbers" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Lumber Camp Song" (theme and tune)
NOTES [101 words]: Peacock re [the Lumber Camp Song]: "The Herring Gibbers [could be] the original version. However, considering the fact that the lumbering version has been traced back at least a hundred years I am inclined to give it priority" - BS
The Lumber Camp Song is also much more widespread, making it a better candidate for parodying. Roud resolves the question by lumping the two.
Peacock's versions refer to the "second hand" Sandy/Stanley Royle. A "second hand" in Newfoundland dialect is the officer who would elsewhere be referred to as the "first mate" or "executive officer" -- the #2 officer of the ship. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: Pea132

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