My Dad was a hospital administrator. When I was a kid, our "vacation" was the week-long hospital convention held at Biloxi, MS each year. When I was 3, we met a fisherman who became our friend...his nickname was "Salty." Salty had a little shrimp boat and he lived on it with his best friend...a duck named Henry. I couldn't wait to meet the two of them each evening when they came into the harbor there at the fisherman's wharf with their catch of the day! After he'd unloaded, I'd sit next to him on a bench at the dock while he played the squeeze box and Henry danced and flapped his wings to the music. I loved "My Fisher-Man". When I was 9, Hurricane Camille blew thru and took most of Biloxi with her...including Salty and Henry. They've been gone for many years, but I have never forgotten them. I was sitting by the fire playing the guitar a few years ago...thinking about Salty and Henry and all the good times we had. That's how this song was born.
Lyrics
Sitting by the fire, staring at the flame I can see your face, and tho I can’t recall your name It doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten you or the kindness that you showed me as a child. It was just so long ago and many things I loved have vanished with the tide. Playing on the docks, I was just a little kid You were a fisherman and you loved the work you did Your tan skin looked like leather, from 40 years of sailing on the sea I enjoyed our days together, my fisher-man and me. Your hair was white & curly, your eyes were bright & blue You had a duck named Henry, who went everywhere with you When you played your squeeze box, he’d flap his wings & dance a jig or two I can still recall the fun we had, how I loved my time with you The hurricane blew in, one balmy summer day And in a moment, you were swept away You vanished with the wind, while I waited & I prayed for your return That day I built a fire in my heart, and that fire still burns Sitting by the fire, staring at the flame I can see your face, and tho I can’t recall your name It doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten you or the kindness that you showed me as a child. It was just so long ago and many things I loved have vanished with the tide. It was just so long ago, My Fisherman...many things I loved have vanished with the tide.