Notes About The Poem

What Little Fish Say

(sung to the tune of "The Sailor's Hornpipe")

Tell me what would happen if we were fishing here
and we would fall asleep in the middle of the pier?
Well, we might just roll around and no one there would wake us up
and we would fall into the water and the fish would say,

	"Nibble nibble gulp, gobble gobble swallow bite,
	it's a big one, Mom, it could take us all night.
	Gotta chomp a little, chew a little, gobble gobble nibble nibble,
	Daddy when you finish, pass the ketchup please."

Tell me what would happen if we were driving there
and we all took a ride on a little yellow fer-ry?
We'd park our car inside the boat and if the ferry didn't float,
we'd fall into the water and the fish would say,

	"Nibble nibble gulp, gobble gobble swallow bite,
	it's a big one, Mom, it could take us all night.
	Gotta chomp a little, chew a little, gobble gobble nibble nibble,
	Daddy when you finish, pass the ketchup please."

Tell me what would happen if we woke up at three 
so we could be the first when we go to water ski?
Well, we all would be so groggy and our brains would be so foggy,
that we'd fall into the water and the fish would say,

	"Nibble nibble gulp, gobble gobble swallow bite,
	it's a big one, Mom, it could take us all night.
	Gotta chomp a little, chew a little, gobble gobble nibble nibble,
	Daddy when you finish, pass the ketchup please."


// author's note: these were lyrics I wrote for my kids to sing while we were traveling in the car/van sung to the familiar tune of the Sailor's Hornpipe (you can youtube it). It proved particularly useful for passing the time during long family vacation trips we took. In retrospect the lyrics seem a little on the dark side, but both kids have grown into perfectly normal adults, save for an inexplicable aversion to the ocean and ketchup ; ^) //
Copyright © | Year Posted 2022

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Kingston Avatar
January 12, 2023 at 9:21 PM
I wish I knew I'd known this poem when my kids were little. It would be fun to chant with a puppet. As a former kindergarten & reading teacher, I know that children must hear rhyming words and hear the sing 'songy' sound of language when they are learning to read. Darling,fun and cute.
Baker Avatar
June 18, 2022 at 8:02 AM
Love the lyrics, John. I'm sure the kids did too. We moved a lot when I was a kid. Texas, Oklahoma, California, Arizona,and Ohio by 7th grade. Lots of road trip while hauling a U-haul. Fun times singing with mom and dad. Thanks for touching those memories for me. Bill
Lawrence Avatar
June 13, 2022 at 9:34 AM
Love this John ! Yes I know that song after looking it up I remembered the tune ! You have such a sense of humor and it shines through in this delightful poem. I think I would have loved roadtrips while belting this out with my two younger sisters ! Big hugs and blessings, Susan :) Of course my Mom and Dad would have joined in too !
Watt Avatar
June 14, 2022 at 10:17 AM
Susan, thank you for joining in on the fun! It sounds like you had a great growing up experience with your sisters and parents interacting in each other's lives. I appreciate your lovely comment and share in that joy ~ John
Faulkner Avatar
June 8, 2022 at 10:52 AM
Hi John, thanks for sharing this story, it sounds like those car trips were a lot of fun! Funny, I didn't think fish liked ketchup;)
Watt Avatar
June 9, 2022 at 11:13 PM
Yes, we did lots of singing to pass the hours. We took road trips twice to visit friends in Wyoming; one time we returned through your beautiful neck of the woods.
Ray Avatar
June 8, 2022 at 9:06 AM
so i went to Youtube....never knew the name of that tune but because of you now i do!!! enjoyed the romp and with the music in the background it all made sense...a fun rollick on the seven seas if there ever be one...Yar!!! Yar!!!
Watt Avatar
June 9, 2022 at 11:11 PM
Fun comment, thank you Timothy. I didn't know the tune name for years, my son found it online.
Wolf Avatar
June 6, 2022 at 8:01 PM
You are now my marine-linguist expert. I am referring all of my questions to you, John, just for the halibut! :) gw
Wolf Avatar
June 11, 2022 at 9:18 PM
I wrote that on porpoise...
Watt Avatar
June 6, 2022 at 9:17 PM
Still laughing at just for the halibut...
Watt Avatar
June 6, 2022 at 9:16 PM
Glubba glubba blub blub.
Cunningham Avatar
June 6, 2022 at 2:45 PM
Lol this is brilliant John, remember singing that in junior school many many years ago Tom
Watt Avatar
June 6, 2022 at 9:09 PM
Now I'm curious what words you sang? I bet in junior school they were juicy, lol! Hope all is well ~ John
Bauer Avatar
June 6, 2022 at 12:57 PM
this is adorable, john! and now i know the tune of "the sailor's hornpipe," which i did have to look up...
Watt Avatar
June 6, 2022 at 2:16 PM
i'm glad you looked it up ilene... for years i knew the tune but not the title... i used to call it "the generic sea chanty". thanks much for the visit ~ john
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