Bamfield's John Vanden

Written in the early 2000s by Chris Frye of The Bills to honour the titular John Vanden, his great Uncle. The tune has made its way through the folk music community. John Vanden was a coastal fisherman who lived and worked in and around the town of Bamfield, British Columbia, and is reputed to have been a facet of the community until his departure for Vancouver at the age of 88. Though Vanden passed away in 2011 at age 96, he is forever immortalised in song.

Lyrics
These lyrics are based on the version sung by the Longest Johns in their Livestream. I come from the mud and the wind and the wet From as far to the west as a man can get And I've worked those waters for all my years And I got my share of strife and tears Ah, the ocean’s the source of my hopes and fears Kept an eye on the jigger pole, hand on the gaff And a smiley on the line always brought a laugh She’s the pride of the coast, biggest of the springs We would carry her home past Edward King Unloading at the packers’ and the money would ring I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden {Chorus} And you might slip and stumble on the rocks at the shore And exult in the blast of the mighty wake’s roar But when you stand humbled by the ocean’s door Then you’ll understand just who I am Bamfield’s Johnnie Vanden Fair weather is a mask that the devil dons A disguise for the tempest that’s coming on But looking toward the west, I can always tell By the tint of the sky and the strength of the swell Who’s winning today—is it heaven or hell? And when unseen arms threw thundering gales We risked our souls on that telegraph trail When the listing wrecks needed us the most We slipped past death on the graveyard coast But the ocean remembers, so we never did boast I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden {Chorus} I rolled and trolled and my hands were worn In God’s vindictive southeast storms Heard the hull of the ship as it ripped and groaned But there is one thrill I have never known 'tis the love of a woman I could call my own So your questions of romance don’t ask me I’m the man who wed the Pacific sea Tempestuous though she may have been A more faithful two you never seen She’s kept me wise and fit and lean I’m Bamfield’s John Vanden {Chorus} Bamfield's John Vanden