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Mermaid In The Night
Jimmy Buffett Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I went out fishing on a sandy beach
Cast my line out as far as it would reach
Looking for something from the frying pan
I kick back with a beer in my hand

I must've got a big one cause it's bending my pole
I'm having to fight just to keep my hold
It could be a whale (oh) God only knows
Whatever it is it's not wearing any clothes

She's larger than life
Made from holy water
She's covered in green
She's got little scales upon her
She's larger than life
She's a mermaid in the night

She's got a set of gills, like no fish I've ever seen
Long blonde hair and a tail in between
I'm in love with a creature from the sea
And she's bringin' out the crustacean in me

Her voice is a temptation it's a siren song
When we kiss there could be no wrong
I ask her to marry me, to be my wife
And we could do the backstroke for the rest of our lives

She's larger than life
Made from holy water
She's covered in green
She's got little scales upon her
She's larger than life
She's a mermaid in the night

Overall Meaning

In Jimmy Buffett's "Mermaid in the Night" lyrics, the singer paints a picture of a casual fishing trip that turns into a magical encounter with a mermaid. The song begins with the singer fishing on a sandy beach, hoping to catch something to eat. He describes the struggle he's having trying to reel in whatever he's caught, which he believes could be a whale, but it's not wearing any clothes. As he continues to fight with the fish, he realizes that he has actually caught a mermaid.


The second half of the song showcases the singer's infatuation with the mermaid. He describes her as being "larger than life," made from "holy water," covered in green with little scales upon her. The singer is enamored by her, falling in love with her beauty and sings that he wants to marry her. He calls her voice a "siren song," which is a nod to Greek Mythology. The song ends with the singer dreaming of spending his days with the mermaid, swimming and doing the backstroke for the rest of their lives.


Overall, "Mermaid in the Night's" lyrics turn a typical fishing trip into an adventure filled with mythical creatures and romantic aspirations. The singer goes from fishing for dinner to falling in love with a mermaid in the span of a few verses.


Line by Line Meaning

I went out fishing on a sandy beach
I went out fishing on a sandy beach


Cast my line out as far as it would reach
I cast my fishing line out as far as it could go


Looking for something from the frying pan
I was hoping to catch something to cook for dinner


I kick back with a beer in my hand
I relaxed with a beer in my hand while waiting for a bite


I must've got a big one cause it's bending my pole
I caught something really big and it was pulling on my fishing rod


I'm having to fight just to keep my hold
I had to struggle to keep my grip on the fishing rod


It could be a whale (oh) God only knows
I wasn't sure what I caught, it could have been a whale


Whatever it is it's not wearing any clothes
Whatever I caught, it wasn't an animal that wears clothes


She's larger than life
The mermaid I caught was larger than life


Made from holy water
The mermaid was created from holy water


She's covered in green
The mermaid had green scales or seaweed on her


She's got little scales upon her
The mermaid had small scales on her body


She's a mermaid in the night
The mermaid I caught was visible only in the dark of night


She's got a set of gills, like no fish I've ever seen
The mermaid I caught had gills like no other fish I'd ever seen


Long blonde hair and a tail in between
The mermaid had long blonde hair and a tail in place of legs


I'm in love with a creature from the sea
I fell in love with the mermaid I caught from the sea


And she's bringin' out the crustacean in me
She was bringing out my inner sea creature, making me feel more connected to the ocean


Her voice is a temptation it's a siren song
Her voice was tempting and alluring, like a siren's song


When we kiss there could be no wrong
Our connection was perfect, nothing could go wrong


I ask her to marry me, to be my wife
I proposed marriage to the mermaid, asking her to be my wife


And we could do the backstroke for the rest of our lives
We could swim together, doing the backstroke for the rest of our lives




Lyrics © Royalty Network
Written by: JAY R OLIVER, ROGER E. GUTH, Jay Oliver, Roger Guth

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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