The New Hope Cafe in Westport, WA, across from the fishing dock
was a favorite hangout for commercial fishermen.

NEW HOPE CAFE
by Matt Moeller © 2004
Sung by Matt Moeller
at the Victory Music open mic at the Ravenna Third Place Books, Seattle, WA, Dec. 2007

 

Rise up early before the rest
The sun’s not up, the wind’s in the west
A cup of coffee by the old wood stove
The promise of the ocean you hope to keep
Your wife and kids are fast asleep
A fisherman’s coat hangs by the kitchen door

Chorus: Damn the suits, damn the ties
Damn the bosses and all their lies
Give me a fisherman’s tale any day
To hell with an office, to hell with the clock
Give me place on the fisherman’s dock
Save me a spot at the New Hope Cafe

Down at the New Hope you find a seat
You greet everyone that you meet
You know everyone and they know you
There was a time when there were more
Than a handful of boats along the shore
Now days, there’s just too damn few

You cast off the lines you’re on your way
Another day fishing out on the bay
Bound and determined not to lose the past
But the fish aren’t there so you head for home
The hold is empty dry as a bone
The day is gone the light’s fading fast

Back in the harbor home again
The hour don’t matter to a fisherman
Still you know your time’s ‘bout run
Tomorrow may be better and you’ll make your haul
Or the day after that, who can tell
The fishing season has just begun.

Pacific Nothwest Folklore Society