We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Loyal Fisherman

from Up Against The Sky by Dave Gunning

supported by
Nfld Irish Music Fan
Nfld Irish Music Fan thumbnail
/

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $1 CAD  or more

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Dave Gunning - Up Against The Sky Vinyl

    Includes unlimited streaming of Up Against The Sky via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days

      $35 CAD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Includes unlimited streaming of Up Against The Sky via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days

      $20 CAD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    11
    releases

    Get all 11 Dave Gunning releases available on Bandcamp and save 10%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of The Same Storm, A Game Goin' On Remix, Christmas, Up Against The Sky, Lift, No More Pennies, Christmas Too, a tribute to John Allan Cameron, and 3 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $95.31 CAD or more (10% OFF)

     

about

I've heard writers over the years say that if they knew where songs came from they'd move there. I'm not really sure where this one came from but I had fun writing it alone in the dark and scaring myself. In the end, no one dies in this song, which I'm also quite surprised by and proud of. I was imagining a little movie in my head as this was all happening.

lyrics

The Loyal Fisherman
Dave Gunning

I knew her once when I was young she was good to me
On the mountain ‘neath the summer sun she was wild and free
We made it to the ocean, we parted by the sand
And she married the loyal fisherman

Now he was strong and faithful and loved her desperately
But wasn't there to hold her while away out on the sea
And her heart was getting restless and she dimmed the window lamp
And laid with the lonely stranger not her loyal fisherman

The waves were getting higher a storm started to blow
The lonely stranger stayed that night with nowhere else to go
They fell asleep together in the howling of the wind 
And woke up to the lightning and something closing in

Then outside beneath the window, they see a lantern glow
Could the boats have come back early as the swell began to grow
Then the door latch opens gently, "sweet wife I've come back home"
He climbed the creaky stairs that night to find her not alone

As the lightning lit the bedroom he just stood there in the door
A stranger lay beside the one his heart was beating for
She cried and said "I'm sorry", they scrambled from the sheets
The fisherman was broken overcome with disbelief

His lantern fell, the kerosene spread across the floor 
The little flame that lit the darkness now burned out of control
The fire climbed the curtains the fire climbed the walls
The stranger climbed the window ledge he must have made the fall

She ran into the hallway down the stairs and onto the lawn
Then out the door came the fisherman whose everything was gone
They watch the house come down together and never spoke a word
Sometimes there's nothing to be said for everything it's worth

The fire still was burning with the rising of the day
Neighbours started gathering from many miles away
And no one knew the secret of the stranger passing through
Just the rolling of the ocean with its different shades of blue

I knew her once when I was young she was good to me
On the mountain neath the summer sun she was wild and free
We made it to the ocean, we parted by the sand
She married the loyal fisherman
We made it to the ocean, we parted by the sand
She married the loyal fisherman
She married the loyal fisherman

credits

from Up Against The Sky, released March 8, 2019
Dave Gunning

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Dave Gunning image

Dave Gunning Pictou, Nova Scotia

With a career spanning over two decades and 13 albums, Dave has gained a reputation for being a great storyteller and engaging performer who has the profound ability to take listeners on a musical journey through his songs. Much of his material is about the underdogs, heroes, family, the heart and reflects the messaging of social justice and carrying about the world around us. ... more

contact / help

Contact Dave Gunning

Streaming and
Download help

Report this track or account

If you like Dave Gunning, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featured guests are the golden-voiced Baby Rose and psyche soulsters Brainstory.
listen now