Talking Fishing Blues

(album: Bound For Glory - 1956)

I went down to the fishing hole
And I set down with my fishing pole
Something grabb'd my hook and it got my bait
And Jerked me out in the middle of the lake
Huh it was some jump boy
I got sunk, kinda baptized on credit

Fishing down on th' muddy bank
Felt a pull an' give a big yank
I drug out three old rubber boots
A Ford radiator an' a Chevrolet coop
(Nothing but Junk, so I handed it in
For National Defence)

Setting in a boat with a bucket of beer
Hadn't caught nuthing but didn't much care
I guess I was pretty well satisfied
Had my little woman right by my side
(Taking it easy, just waiting
Worm been gone off-a that hook for a couple of hours
I was busy)

When you go fishing, tell y' what to do
Go set down by the grassy dew
Take a piece of string, tie it on yo' pole
Throw it way out in th' middle of th' hole
Find you a good shady tree and then just set down
(Go to sleep, forget all about it
Can't catch nuthing here anyways)

Well I walked out to a sandy bar
And I caught myself a big alligator gar
Drug him home across my back
Tail was dragging a mile and a half
Flipping an' flopping. I sold him for a quarter
(Shot craps, got in Jall)

Jumped in the river and went down deep
There was a hundred pound cat-fish lying there asleep
Well I jumped on his back and rode him all aroun'
Saddled him up and I came into town
People came running, looking, dogs a-barking
(Kids a-squallin')

Early one morning I took me a notion
To go out fishing in the middle of the ocean
Well, throwed me a line, I got me a shark
I didn't get him home till way past dark
(Was he a man-eater, tough customer
But he wasn't quite tough enough)

Late last night I had me a dream
I was out fishing in a whiskey stream
Baited my hook with apple-jack
Threw out a drink, drug a gallon back
(Done pretty good till the creek run dry
I give the fish back to the finance company)