Waiting for the day ( Perran version )

Waiting for the day

The worst old brig you ever did see
Sailed into Perran on a windy day

chorus :
And we're waiting for the day
Waiting for the day,waiting for the day when we'll get our pay.

Her coal was loaded in Swansea docks
She was headed for the beach off Chapel Rock

She clewed her way round Droskyn Point
Steering like a wagon with a squeaky joint

Off Gull Rock she sprang a leak
You could hear her poor old timbers creak

Her bottom was rotten and it went right through
All on the beach her coal was strewn

Now we're in sight of Perranporth Town
Pump you buggers, pump or drown.

The moral of this tale is clear -
Perran's got a beach,but we've got no pier.....

The mines of Perranzabuloe needed large amounts of coal for the pumping engines - and the only way it could be delivered directly was by waiting for favourable weather and tides and then deliberately running the ship onto the beach and unloading with carts at low tide - hoping to finish the job before the weather changed and the surf got up.

Things didn't always go to plan....

This song originated on the East Coast and has been adapted to fit any number of locations around the coast of these islands. We first heard the version by the Fisherman's Friends of Port Isaac ( our original inspiration and long-time friends )