Your alarm clock sounds off at 3:30 A.M.
Another summer morning is about to begin
From your cozy bed you must now descend
And head on out for the Bay again
As you leave your home in the darkness
With your family still snuggled in bed
It looks like a nice day ahead
There's a fresh North wind a-blowing
Yet the stars are twinkling bright
The Chesapeake Bay could be rough today
But there's no bad weather in sight
In the coolness of the morning breeze
There's no reason to complain
Although the winds a-rustling the trees
There's not yet any sign of rain
So you rush on down to your crab shanty stand
And dip out all the soft crabs from your float
Then you pack 'em all up as fast as you can
And head on aboard your trusty 'ole boat
Aboard, you lift up the engines box top
And check your' re 'ole diesel over
Make sure it's fuel, water, and oil levels are up
Okay, you' re all ready now to start the motor
Press the starter button - listen to that diesel Hummmm
Make a final check on your crab bait - Tomcats have eaten some
Cast up your vessels line from it's stern, and bow
With running lights, shining bright, everything's ready now
Lock in the clutch, throttle 'er up, hear that diesel roar
Run quickly into the cabin and close the cabin door
Pick up the channel markers in your spotlight beam
Watch out for small crabbing boats not too easily seen
Don' t get too cozy in your Captains Chair
There' s lots of boats out in the darkness there
Click on your radio VHF - talk with crabbers, already left
Find out who left earlier and the ones who overslept
Soon your vessel plunges
Into the large swells of the Bay
Its bow diving into the undertow
Throwing off beads of salty spray
In the sea of darkness
Your propeller churns the surf below
Illuminating the sea nettles and jellyfish
With their erie greenish glow
The fleet of Island work boats
Create a colorful nautical scene
With a montage of lights on the dark horizon
Twinkling red, white, and green
With their diesel engines a-roaring
The vessels plunge through the flying spray
Racing to meet the early morning sun
And ready to begin another crabbing day
Suddenly, the first crab pot buoy is spotted
Bobbing softly in the morning dawn
Time to exit from your comfortable chair
And get your boots, your gloves, and apron on
From the outdoor helm you make a wide sweeping circle
To allow you the time to make a quick equipment check
And time to start the pot puller in motion
While getting your pot hook up on deck
Shoot up to the first buoy at daybreak
Throw the engines clutch in reverse
Stop your vessel still in its wake
Foam spray gushing from the stern with a burst
You quickly grab your pot hook
And snatch the cork from the rolling sea
With the pot puller winding and salt water flying
You wonder what the first pot's catch will be
Soon the crab pot breaks the water’s surface
Glistening in the light of the red balled sun
And it's full of white bellied "Jimmy Crabs"
Looks like a good crabbing day's just begun
Quickly, point your bow to the next crab pot row
Watch each pot, swirl to the top creating it's own undertow
Pots bulging full with all kinds of crabs
One of the best crabbing days you' ve ever had
Crab baskets are beginning to fill up fast
You don't know how long these crabs will last
But it sure does make it an easier task
15 baskets of "Jimmies" and 5 baskets of "Sooks" standing tall
But you' ve got to keep on fishing pots until you get 'em all
Of course, you realize that not every crabbing day is this fine
Some days there's not enough crabs to feed a porcupine
It's gettin much warmer now under the morning sun
And you' ve got 3 more rows to fish before you' re done
So you must keep up the pace and speed on down your rows
Fishing one pot after another until it's time to go
Some sea nettles and "hard heads" are cluttering up your pots
Plus other unwanted species like oyster toads and "spots"
You must be very careful culling out these guy's
Or else, you could wind-up with a stinger in your eyes (ouch!)
But finally, you make it to the last pot of the day
After dumping, and culling it's crabs, you' re now on your way
With 30 baskets stacked up high you hope the market isn't down
But, this is your lucky day - the crab market's remaining firm
20 baskets of "Jimmies" and 10 "Sooks" should bring a good return
You arrive at the crab house dock and put your baskets out
The crab buyer pays you off a fine days work, no doubt
An honest days work for an honest days pay
But, diesel fuel, and crab bait bills must be paid today
Then once again it's time to put your work boat out to sea
For the last leg of your journey home where you long to be
You leave the crab house dock, feeling good about your day
And pause, in a moment of thankfulness for The Chesapeake Bay
The Bay provides your living and keeps the Islanders free
Because that's the way the Good Lord planned it to be
So after a long hard day in which you' ve done your best
Your work boat's returning you home to enjoy a well earned rest
And now upon the horizon , the Island Harbor comes into sight
Where you' ll tie up your trusty vessel for the coming night
Then get rested and ready for another crab potting day
Out on the great provider - The Great Chesapeake Bay
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