The Life of a Crab Fisherman

"La vida de un jaibero (The Life of a Crab Fisherman)," #154 Swapping Stories
Irvan Perez, Poydras, Louisiana

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This décima responds with good-natured self-mockery to the misery of crab fishing, an activity to which, traditionally, the Isleños only resorted in case of dire need. The hardworking, ill-paid crabber, half frozen by February winds, becomes involved in various grotesque adventures and humorous mishaps, but typically--and in self-defense--the Isleños respond to their suffering with good humor. As Irvan Perez says: "It's all in fun."

Irvan Perez: The only way the people would fish crabs, at this particular time--later on, it got to be a big industry--but the crabs weren't worth hardly nothing--twenty-five, thirty cents a basket--and the only time they would fish was when we'd have a storm or some type of high water of some kind, that would drive the rats out of the trapping areas. Then these people had to make a living for their families, so they went to crab fishing. And they would always say that they hate it so much they would say that crab fishing was about seven degrees below a hog. Which didn't speak too well for the industry, but, anyway, later on, of course, it made a big change. The crab went to twenty-one dollars a basket. Naturally, you're fishing for that price, and gladly. The song pertains to a fisherman fishing in February, which is a cold month. Anything that can happen to you usually happens. In order to basket a crab, you had to have either moss or hay, or grass, and they used to go ashore, and whenever they caught a basket of crabs, they'd go ashore and they'd pull the grass and basket the crabs this way. They never had no covers.

Yo me arrimé a la costa,
buscándome el abriguito.
Sentí una voz que decía:
--︳ aquí estoy yo heladito!--
Era un pobre jaibero,
pescando en el mes de febrero.

Y salió calando
derecho para el otro lado
y se encontró otro jaibero,
otro pobre desgraciado.
Entonces dice el jaibero:
--﹐aldita sea el mes de febrero!--

Lo conchó a la costa
y donde estaba el batimiento.
Entonces dice el jaibero:
--﹐aldita sea tanto viento!--
Era un pobre jaibero,
pescando en el mes de febrero.

De una lata a la otra;
iba un pobre jaibero.
Se fue a tierra a cortar paja
y le cayó un avispero.
Entonces dice el jaibero:
--﹐aldita sea el mes de febrero!--

Tenía el pelo largo
y se enredó en los mangles.
No podía salir
a recorrer sus palangres.
Era un pobre jaibero,
pescando en el mes de febrero.

Cuando se muere un jaibero,
que nadie le ponga luto,
porque se va a descansar
ese pobrecito difunto.
Era un pobre jaibero,
pescando en el mes de febrero.

The Life of a Crab Fisherman

I went up close to shore,
just looking for shelter.
I heard a voice saying:
"Here I am all frozen."
It was a poor crab fisherman,
fishing in the month of February.

He went out to lay his lines
straight over to the other side
and he met another crabber,
another unfortunate fellow.
Then the crab fisherman says:
"Damned be the month of February!"

He ran his boat in to shore,
where the tide was beating in.
Then the crab fisherman says:
"Damn all this wind!"
It was a poor crab fisherman,
fishing in the month of February.

From one pole to another,
went a poor crab fisherman.
He went on shore to cut straw and a bees' nest fell on him.
Then the crab fisherman says:
"Damned be the month of February!"

His hair was all long
and got tangled in the mangroves.
He couldn't go out
to check on his lines.
It was a poor crab fisherman,
fishing in the month of February.

When a crab fisherman dies,
no one should mourn for him,
because that poor deceased fellow
is just going to his rest.
It was a poor crab fisherman,
fishing in the month of February.

Notes to the Teacher: For two other Isleño texts, see Armistead (1992, 30-31).

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