This is a traditional folk song from Newfoundland, Canada. The words paint a picture of the fishing industry and the culture that evolved around it. The accompaniment is meant to emulate the sounds of instruments used in the Newfoundland region, such as squeezebox, pennywhistle, fiddle, acoustic guitar, and bohdran (or other low-pitched frame drum). The conductor may add some of these instruments in lieu of--or addition to--the piano accompaniment.