[Verse 1]
The fishermen are pitching pennies
In the sand beside the sea
And the sunrise hits their oilskin boots
Their painted boats and me
And they seem to know the ocean
Like a man knows a woman
She makes him wait around
For half the morning for the tide to turn

[Chorus]
Pull on the ropes, Seine haul fisherman
Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day
Pull in the nets, Seine haul fisherman
Day's for work, night's the time to go dancin'

[Verse 2]
They're drinkin' beer and laughin'
And squinting at the sun
Waiting for the gulls to tell them
When the fish will come
Their faces brown and weathered
From all the nets they've run
They've learned to wait
They always know that the tide will turn
[Chorus]
Pull on the ropes, Seine haul fisherman
Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day
Pull in the nets, Seine haul fisherman
Day's for work, night's the time to go dancin'
(Yeah)

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3]
Now way out on the ocean
The big ships hunt for whales
And the Japanese have caught so many
Now they hunt for snails
But my fisherman's not greedy
He seems content to live
With the sun and the sand
And a net full of fishes when the tide turns

[Chorus]
Pull on the ropes, Seine haul fisherman
Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day
Pull in the nets, Seine haul fisherman
Day's for work, night's the time to go dancin'
Oh, just pull in the ropes, Seine haul fisherman
Never catches more than he knows he can sell in a day
Oh, and pull in the nets, Seine haul fisherman
Day's for work, night's the time to go dancin'