Focusing primarily on instrumental composition and playing, Kottke also sings sporadically, in an unconventional yet expressive baritone described by himself as sounding like "geese farts on a muggy day".[1] In concert, Kottke intersperses humorous and often bizarre monologues with vocal and instrumental selections from throughout his career, played solo on 6- and 12-string guitars.
The Fisherman
Leo Kottke Lyrics
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By the river shore
I saw your child sleeping
Behind an open door
The moon was in the river
Shining up from the floor
And the fish swam like moonlight
Through your child's closing door
The fisherman was drowning
By his broken heel
His screams were tiny bubbles
And his tongue made of steel
When he died his teeth made stones
For your lonely child to feel
And his eyes like prayers were quiet
When you heard his tongues of steel
And morning is the long way home
The ghost of ghosts was passing
And the grasses waved like hair
I knew I'd die forgotten
I'm the whisper of your care
The water would surround me
And my body would despair
But my heart would understand
The door that's closing there
And morning is the long way home
In Leo Kottke's "The Fisherman," the singer recalls a mystical and surreal encounter by the river shore. The singer heard a voice at midnight and saw a child sleeping behind an open door. The moon's reflection was in the river, shining up from the floor, and fish swam like moonlight through the closing door. The singer suggests that morning is the long way home.
A fisherman is drowning by his broken heel, and his screams are described as tiny bubbles with a tongue made of steel. He dies, and his teeth become stones for the child to feel. The fisherman's eyes, like prayers, were quiet when his tongues of steel were heard. The singer again asserts that morning is the long way home.
The ghost of ghosts passes by, and the grasses wave like hair. The singer accepts that they will die forgotten as the whisper of somebody's care. The water would surround the singer's body and cause despair, but the heart would understand the closing door. Once more, morning is the long way home.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard your voice at midnight
I was awake at midnight and heard your voice
By the river shore
Your voice was by the river
I saw your child sleeping
I saw your child asleep
Behind an open door
Your child's door was open
The moon was in the river
The moon's reflection was in the river
Shining up from the floor
The moon's reflection was shining on the river's floor
And the fish swam like moonlight
The fish appeared to be swimming like moonlight
Through your child's closing door
The fish appeared to be swimming through your child's door as it closed
And morning is the long way home
Time seems to be taking a long time to pass until morning comes
The fisherman was drowning
A fisherman was drowning
By his broken heel
The fisherman's heel was broken
His screams were tiny bubbles
His screams were small bubbles
And his tongue made of steel
His tongue was strong
When he died his teeth made stones
After he died, his teeth became rocks
For your lonely child to feel
Your child might later find the rocks and be reminded of the fisherman
And his eyes like prayers were quiet
The fisherman's eyes were closed peacefully
When you heard his tongues of steel
Before he died, he spoke with a strong voice
And morning is the long way home
Time seems to be taking a long time to pass until morning comes
The ghost of ghosts was passing
A ghostly apparition was passing by
And the grasses waved like hair
The grass appeared to be waving like hair
I knew I'd die forgotten
I had the premonition that I would die and be forgotten
I'm the whisper of your care
I believe I am the thing you care about deeply and quietly
The water would surround me
If I died, the water would cover me
And my body would despair
My body would be helpless
But my heart would understand
My heart would know
The door that's closing there
The closing of the door, perhaps symbolic of something
And morning is the long way home
Time seems to be taking a long time to pass until morning comes
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LEO KOTTKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind