Old Fish Song by The New Lost City Ramblers

Old Fish Song by The New Lost City Ramblers

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Old Fish Song 

by The New Lost City Ramblers

Now Buddy get up and come here to your pap

I'll tell you a story, climb up in my lap

It's better than the story of Daniel or Ruth

Although it is fishy, it's every bit true

Now listen right good while I tell you this tale

How Jonah the prophet got caught by a whale

That whale caught poor Jonah and bless your dear soul

It not only caught him, it swallowed him whole

Part of the story is awfully sad

Tis about a big city that went to the bad

When the Lord saw them people with such wicked ways

He said, 'I can't stand this but forty more days'

He spoke to old Jonah then said, 'Go and try

To the wicked old city and tell them that I

Give 'em forty more days to get humbled down

And if they don't do it, I'll tear up the town'

When he heard the Lord speaking, old Jonah said, 'No

I'm a true hard-shelled Baptist and so I won't go

The Nineveh people are nothing to me

And then I'll begin for a mission you'll see'

So he went down to the job, it was there in great haste

That he boarded a ship for a different place

The Lord looked down on that ship and said he,

'Old Jonah is fixin' to run off on me'

He sets the wind a-blowing with squeaks and with squalls

The sea then got rowdy and kicked up its heels

Old Jonah confessed it was caused by his sin

So the crew threw him out and the whale took him in

The whale said to Jonah, 'Old feller don't fret

I'm sent here to take you in out of the wet'

So he opened his mouth and poor Jonah went in

'You're going to get punished right much for your sin'

'Twas a funny sight, Bud, that ever was seen

When Jonah rode off in his new submarine

The Nineveh people did not repent

For the message of warning to them was missent

On a bed of green seaweed that whale tried to rest

He said, 'Now I'll sleep while my food will digest'

So he got mighty restless and sore-afraid

For he rumbled inside as the old prophet prayed

Now you see how God's letter to Nineveh lay

In the dead letter office for three nights and days

The old prophet shut in as tight as a lock

But all things will be opened as sure as you knock

The third day the old fish arose from his bed

With his stomach tore up and a pain in his head

He said, 'I must get to the air mighty quick

That filthy old sinner is a-making me sick'

So he winked his big eyes and he wiggled his tail

Set out for the shore to deliver his mail

He came to the shore then he looked all around

And vomited Jonah clear out on the ground

Old Jonah thanked God for his mercy and grace

Then turning to the whale and then he made a face

He said, 'After three days and nights you have found

A good man, old sucker, you can't keep down

So the prophet stretched out with a yawn and a sigh

Set down in the sun for his clothing to dry

He thought how much better his preaching would be

Since from a whale seminary he'd had a degree

Having rested himself, he dried well in the sun

Then he started for Nineveh almost in a run

He said, 'I must hurry and try not to sin

I'm sure I don't want to be swallowed again'

He arrived at the city about a week late

Then he preached from the time that he entered the gate

'Til the whole population repented and prayed

And the great hand of justice and vengeance was stayed

When you disobey, mammy, remember this tale

When you run off from home, just look out for a whale

There's varmints to get you on sea and on land

And a boy can be swallowed much easier than a man

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