'56, I sailed on board a ship called Byron One
She's carried trawler men on deck and a harpoon whaling gun
A tractor for a whale winch and the ship's an old fair mile
Twin diesels turned the screws around, she'll whale a fine old style

Oh you trawler men, come on, forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballard we'll sail, fishing for the humpback whale

Keep a sharp look out, my lads, the whale she's on the run
And we'll drive her into Byron bay and we'll shoot her with our guns
The harpoon and the lines fly through very deep into the whale
She split the timbers of the ship with a flurry of her tail

Oh you trawler men, come on, forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballard we'll sail, fishing for the humpback whale

The rigging struts are snapped in two, we reel beneath the blow
The gunner fires a killer shot and that humpback sent below
Make her tail fast to the bows, we got no time for bed
For four and twenty hours each day, we kept that factory fed

Oh you trawler men, come on, forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballard we'll sail, fishing for the humpback whale

The flensing men upon the land, some had been jackaroos
They skin the blubber from the whales like they're skinning kangaroos
A hundred whales and then fifty more, through the factory we did send
Then the orders came 'Knock off, my lads, your season's an end

Oh you trawler men, come on, forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballard we'll sail, fishing for the humpback whale

Back into Baliner we steered, tied up and stowed the gear
All hands headed for the pub and we filled ourselves with beer

Oh you trawler men, come on, forget your snapper and your prawn
For it's out of Ballard we'll sail, fishing for the humpback whale