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Fisherman's Blues Lyrics
I wish I was a fisherman
tumblin' on the seas
far away from dry land
and it's bitter memories
castin' out my sweet line
with abandonment and love
no ceiling bearin' down on me
save the starry sky above
with light in my head
with you in my arms...
i wish i was the brakeman
on a hurtlin fevered train
crashin head long into the heartland
like a cannon in the rain
with the feelin of the sleepers
and the burnin of the coal
countin the towns flashin by
and a night that's full of soul
with light in my head
with you in my arms...
And I know I will be loosened
from the bonds that hold me fast
and the chains all around me
will fall away at last
and on that grand and fateful day
I will take thee in my hand
I will ride on a train
I will be the fisherman
With light in my head
You in my arms...
Light in my head
You in my arms...
Light in my head
You...
With light in my head
You in my arms...
tumblin' on the seas
far away from dry land
and it's bitter memories
castin' out my sweet line
with abandonment and love
no ceiling bearin' down on me
save the starry sky above
with light in my head
with you in my arms...
i wish i was the brakeman
on a hurtlin fevered train
crashin head long into the heartland
like a cannon in the rain
with the feelin of the sleepers
and the burnin of the coal
countin the towns flashin by
and a night that's full of soul
with light in my head
with you in my arms...
from the bonds that hold me fast
and the chains all around me
will fall away at last
and on that grand and fateful day
I will take thee in my hand
I will ride on a train
I will be the fisherman
With light in my head
You in my arms...
You in my arms...
You...
You in my arms...
Song Info
Submitted by
nelly On Feb 19, 2002
More The Waterboys
The Whole Of The Moon
This Is The Sea
Red Army Blues
A Girl Called Johnny
And A Bang On The Ear
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You have got to be kidding me. Where are the drug references? Maybe I'm not cool enough to notice them.
This song is about the distance between our ideal lives and our lives in reality. Its about wishing to be freed from our constricted, problem-filled lives and to get in tough with something transcendent.
Drugs could be one of the problems to escape from, but they're hardly implied by the song.
Beautiful song, BTW.
'with light in my head and you in my arms' - heroin reference in first two verses
'with light in my head and you in my arms' - heroin reference in first two verses
'with light in my head and you in my arms' - love reference in last verse
'with light in my head and you in my arms' - love reference in last verse
I'd initially thought the drug angle not there too, but it's not implausible.
I'd initially thought the drug angle not there too, but it's not implausible.
The first verse describes the longing for the freedom you can experience out at sea, where the dry land (and your everyday life) are far away.
The second verse describes the longing for the freedom you experience on a fast train carrying you away from everyday life and running so fast that you cannot (do not have to) interact with the surroundings it is going through.
The use of the two different metaphors in the two verses demonstrates that the song is not really about being a fisherman or riding on trains. It is about striving for freedom by leaving everyday life, routine, and bad memories behind.
The third verse adds a VERY beautiful twist to this idea: The narrator of the songs knows that he will find freedom on that day when he meets his new love ("I will take thee in my hand"). So you cannot find freedom from bad experiences in the past by runnig AWAY from something (e.g. by boat or by train). You can only find this freedom by traveling TOWARDS something new and good.
The chorus doesn't really fit with the first two verses: Someone travelling alone, in a rough environment, and away from bad things - why should this person sing: "With light in my head, with you in my arms"??? However, after the third verse the chorus suddenly makes sense: Only by going for new ideas ("light") and new love you can really find freedom from your troublesome past (and all the drugs you used, of course). :-)
I think everybody seems to have missed a very important word here.
"WISH"
If you take that word into account, the song translates as:
"I wish I had a really simple life, away from everything, with no worries in my head, and with you in my arms."
The song, in my opinion, is just about wanting to relax and spend time with the person you most love.
The song is about escaping but it's not about drug addiction. It's Mike Scott trying to escape his record company after they wanted him to make more commercial music like "whole of the moon". He wanted to get away from all that and make his own music, so he went off to Ireland to record the fishermans blues album. Go see them live if you ever get chance. They are awesome
I think everybody seems to have missed a very important word here.
"WISH"
If you take that word into account, the song translates as:
"I wish I had a really simple life, away from everything, with no worries in my head, and with you in my arms."
The song, in my opinion, is just about wanting to relax and spend time with the person you most love.
@babywithacrowbar That.
@babywithacrowbar That.
Looking through the messages on here, it seems every song ever written by mankind is about drug addiction roll eyes Just a hint: This song is a classic folk song. Songwriters weren't real big on writing about drug addiction back in the 1700's, I'm thinkin...
And more importantly, this is an absolutely beutifull song.
yeah escaping sounds about right... living a simple life, away from all the detriments of the cities and all.. maybe with someone he loves? could be.
The song's not about drugs, really, as much as it is about Scott's romantic fascination with the sea.
Don't believe me? Your freakin' loss, right...? :P
this song, IMO, means escape from something. Be it a mundane 9-5 life , or someone who disapproves of their love.