John The Fisherman

Album: Frizzle Fry (1990)
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  • When he was young you'd not find him doing well in school,
    His mind would turn unto the waters.
    Always the focus of adolescent ridicule,
    He has no time for farmer's daughters.

    Alienated from the clique society,
    A lonely boy finds peace in fishing.
    His mother says John this is not the way life's supposed to be.
    Don't you see the life that you are missing?

    And he says...
    When I grow up I want to be,
    One of the harvesters of the sea.
    I think before my days are done,
    I want to be a fisherman.

    Now years gone by we find man that rules the sea.
    He sets out on a dark May morning .
    To bring his catch back to this small community.
    He doesn't see the danger dawning.

    Four hours up, oh the ocean swelled and swelled,
    The fog rolled in it started raining.
    The starboard bow. Oh my God we're going down!
    They do not hear his frantic mayday.

    And he says
    When I grow up I want to be,
    One of the harvesters of the sea.
    I think before my days are done,

    I want to be a fisherman.
    I'll live and die a fisherman.
    Calling John the Fisherman. Writer/s: LES CLAYPOOL, TIMOTHY W. ALEXANDER, TODD HUTH
    Publisher: Downtown Music Publishing
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 10

  • Miles from West Linn, OrFirst song in a rhythm game that was not a cover! Congrats, Primus!:D
  • Cody from St Joe, Moi think im going to have to disagree with you too rick. i think les actually stated this was about a fisherman and alot of primus' songs are very gritty. just listen to the guitar in this and the bass in my name is mud
  • Zach from Green Bay, Wihas an awesome guitar beat
  • Rick from Buffalo, NyI disagree with Alex of Colebrook, mainly because Primus doesn't seem exactly like the "gritty" type of band. But it's a song, meant to be interpreted by the reader. Unless the writer says otherwise, I stay with my previous assumption, even if it makes me look (falsely) like a zealous Christian.
  • Alex from Colebrook, CtLet's make sure to recognize that Rick from Buffalo is only stating his very incorrect opinion and doesn't seem to understand the real meaning of this song.

    Anyway, Fishermen are (more specifically were) a bunch of tough mofos and this song really captures that gritty, honorable danger.
  • Rick from Buffalo, NyThe song is religious. His name is John, the name of the man who baptized Jesus. The fact that he wants to be a fisherman is a connection to the fact that Jesus's disciples were fisherman that became "fishers of men". the song is about a boy who wants to be a priest, not somethng that's mainstream in this world
  • Reuben from Amsterdam, NetherlandsFunny, how Primus likes to play songs about guys and their trades, like 'Jerry was a race car driver', or 'Sergeant Baker'. I love them!
  • Sara from San Diego, Cathis is on guitar hero II and its wicked fun i have conquered that game
  • Matt from Cherry Hill, Njthis is a great song. I will tell you the guitar in this song is incredibly fun to play, and is downright catchy.... I AM JOHN THE FISHERMAN!!!
  • Cam from Cambridge, CanadaThis song is on guitr hero 2 for ps2.
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