No More Fish, No Fishermen is a song whose lyrics were composed by Canadian folklorist and singer

Shelley Posen Shelley (I. Sheldon) Posen is a Canadian folklorist, singer and songwriter, a member of the folk trio Finest Kind, and a former writer of the 'Songfinder' column for ''Sing Out!'' In the 1970s, while still a graduate student, he was the Directo ...

, about the demise of the

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

fishery. Although it was written in 1996, it is often assumed to be a traditional song. The tune is based upon "Coal Not Dole" by Kay Sutcliffe and Paul Abrahams, who wrote the lyrics and melody respectively, about the death of the coal industry in northern England. "Coal Not Dole" was made popular by

Coope Boyes and Simpson Coope Boyes and Simpson was an English vocal folk trio, formed around 1990. Their sound was rich and often had unusual vocal harmonies. The group comprised singers Barry Coope, Jim Boyes (formerly of Swan Arcade) and Lester Simpson, and almost a ...

on their ''Funny Old World'' album, and is in turn based on the Victorian Christmas carol, " See, Amid The Winter's Snow". It is set to the

hymn tune A hymn tune is the melody of a musical composition to which a hymn text is sung. Musically speaking, a hymn is generally understood to have four-part (or more) harmony, a fast harmonic rhythm (chords change frequently), with or without refrain ...

''Humility'' by John Goss, written in 1871. Posen recorded "No More Fish, No Fishermen" with the group Finest Kind (on their CD ''Heart's Delight'') as an a capella, three-part vocal; and on his solo CD ''The Old Songs' Home'', with a

jangle pop Jangle pop is a subgenre of pop rock or college rock that emphasizes jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop melodies. The term originated from Bob Dylan's song " Mr. Tambourine Man", whose 1965 rendition by the Byrds became considered one of the g ...

musical arrangement reminiscent of

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

Covers

* Finest Kind ''Heart's Delight'' *

''The Old Songs' Home'' * Adam Miller ''The Orphan Train and Other Reminiscences'' *

Johnny Collins Johnny Collins (10 May 1938 – 6 July 2009) was an England, English folk singer based in London, England, specializing in traditional maritime music and sea shanties. Biography Collins was born in Norfolk, England and adopted by a railway w ...

''Now & Then'' * Bill Garrett & Sue Lothrop ''Red Shoes'' 2003 * David Coffin ''Last trip home'' 2009

References

1996 songs Shelley Posen songs Songs about fish Songs about fishers Environmental songs Songs based on Canadian history Newfoundland and Labrador in fiction Canadian folk songs {{folk-song-stub