Three fishers went sailing out into the west
Out into the west as the sun went down
Each thought of the woman that loved him the best
And the children stood watching them out of the town

For men must work and women must weep
For there's little to earn and there's many to keep
And the harbour bar be moanin'
And the harbour bar be moanin'

Three wives sat up in the lighthouse tower
Trimming the lamps as the sun went down
They looked at the squall and they looked at the showers
And the night-wrack came rolling in, ragged and brown

For men must work and women must weep
Though storms be sudden and the waters be deep
And the harbour bar be moanin'
And the Harbour bar be moanin'

Three corpses lay out on the shining sand
In the morning gleam as the tide went down
And the women were weeping and wringing their hands
For those who would never come back to the town

For men must work and women must weep
For the sooner it's over, the sooner to sleep
And goodbye to the bar and its moanin'
And goodbye to the bar and its moanin'