This particular ditty was recorded from a herring girl in the BBC documentary Shanties and sea songs with Gareth Malone. Herring girls would travel the east coast of the United Kingdom, following the fish as they migrated to new breeding grounds. As the trawlers brought in fresh catches, the groups of girls would work to preserve the fish, usually by salting them
This simple song was sung at least during the 1910s and is emblematic of the songs used to pass the time.