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.
As 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
Calling John the Fisherman
They're calling John the Fisherman
Primus - John The Fisherman Lyrics
Primus - John The Fisherman Lyrics
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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.
As 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
Calling John the Fisherman
They're calling John the Fisherman
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.
As 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
Calling John the Fisherman
They're calling John the Fisherman
Writer: LES CLAYPOOL, TIMOTHY W. ALEXANDER, TODD HUTH
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Downtown Music Publishing
Copyright: Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Downtown Music Publishing
"John the Fisherman" is the debut single by American rock band Primus. It was first released on December 30, 1989 on the live album Suck on This, then re-released a year later on May 17, 1990, this time on their debut studio album Frizzle Fry as the lead single.
The band's frontman Les Claypool said of the song:
"John the Fisherman" was written so long ago. I like to write about things I know about so that I don't sound like a dipshit talking over my head. I fish. Some dads take their kids to football games or baseball games. My dad took me fishing. That's what we did, almost every weekend. My uncle, my grandfather, that's what we did. It's a big part of my history. So, for me, it was always easy to write about. These fishing songs kept popping up, themes about the ocean, and it made it like a chronicle, a subdivision of our body of work.
Performed By:
PrimusThe band's frontman Les Claypool said of the song:
"John the Fisherman" was written so long ago. I like to write about things I know about so that I don't sound like a dipshit talking over my head. I fish. Some dads take their kids to football games or baseball games. My dad took me fishing. That's what we did, almost every weekend. My uncle, my grandfather, that's what we did. It's a big part of my history. So, for me, it was always easy to write about. These fishing songs kept popping up, themes about the ocean, and it made it like a chronicle, a subdivision of our body of work.
From Album: Frizzle Fry
Genre(s): Funk metal
Length: 3:37
Written by: LES CLAYPOOL, TIMOTHY W. ALEXANDER, TODD HUTH
Produced by: Primus, "Exxon" Matt Winegar
Released: May 17th, 1990
Year: 1990