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Talkin' Fishin' Blues 1 (Talkin' Fisherman) Woody Guthrie © 1961 (renewed) Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc

May 1961 THE MINNESOTA TAPES (T-318) THE MINNEAPOLIS PARTY TAPE

Minnesota Party tape 1961, Minneapolis MN - May 1961 I went down to the fishing hole I took along my fishin' pole Somethin' grabbed my hook an' got my bait Jerked me out in the middle of the lake Some jump, got sunk, baptized on credit. Fishin' down on the muddy bank I felt a pull, give a big yank I drug out old muddy boots Ford radiator an' a Chevrolet coup' Handed it in for the National Defence. If you go fishin', i tell ya what to do Go set down by the grassy dew You get a piece of string, tie it on yo' pole Throw it way out in the middle of the hole Find a shady tree, set down, go to sleep Nobody catches fish anyway Just a legend. Sittin' in a boat with a bucket of beer Hadn't caught nothin' but i didn't much care I guess I was pretty well satisfied Had my little woman right by my side Takin' it easy Worm been gone off the hook for just about an hour I was busy. Jumped in the river and went down deep A hundred pound catfish lying there asleep Well I jumped on his back and rode him all aroun' Saddled him up and I come to town Dogs a-barkin', kids a-squallin', women a-cryin' Cops got a-comin', me a-runnin'. Waited out in a sandy bar Caught myself a big alligator gar Drugged him home across my back Tail musta been draggin' a mile an' a half Just flippin' n' floppin' Sold him for a quarter Short craps, got in jail Never will catch any of 'em alligators for more. One night back I took me a notion Go out fishin' in the middle of the ocean Throwed me a line, I got me a shark I didn't bring him home till way past dark He's a man-eater, tough customer This one wasn't quite tough enough. Back one night had me a dream I was fishin' 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.

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Talkin' Fishin' Blues 2

6 May 1961 I WAS SO MUCH YOUNGER THEN Vol. 4     [Columbia Discovered] (T-676)

Indian Neck Folk Festival, Branford CT - 6 May 1961 I went down to the fishin' hole I took along my fishin' pole Somethin' grabbed my hook an' got my bait Jerked me out in the middle of the lake Some jump, got sunk, i was baptized on credit. Fishin' down on the muddy bank Felt a pull, i give a big yank I hold out a pair of muddy boots Ford radiator an' a Chevrolet coup Handed it in for the National Defence. Sittin' in a boat with a bucket of beer Hadn't caught nothin' but i didn't much care I guess I was pretty well satisfied I had my little woman right by my side Takin' it easy Worm been gone off the hook just about an hour An' i was busy. If you go fishin', i tell ya what to do Go set down by the grassy dew You get a piece of string, tie it on yo' pole Throw it out into the hole Find a shady tree, set down, go to sleep Forget about it. Jumped in the river and went down deep A hundred pound catfish lying there asleep I jumped on his back and rode him all aroun' Saddled him up and then I come to town. Women a-cryin', dogs a-barkin', little kids a-squallin' Fathers comin', policemen comin', me a-runnin'. Waited out in a sandy bar Caught myself a big alligator gar Drugged him home across my back Tail was draggin' a mile an' a half Flippin' 'n' floppin' Sold it for a quarter Got drunk, got in jail I'll never catch any alligator. One night it took me a notion Go out fishin' in the middle of the ocean Throwed me a line, I got me a shark I didn't bring him home till way past dark He's a man-eater, tough customer This one quite not tough enough. One night i had me a dream I was fishin' 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.