Fishers of Men - The Ballad of Old Johnny
Two men set out to sea one day, to fish the oceans deep,
They hoisted anchor, sailed from port, with promises to keep;
The water gleamed like polished glass, the sky was brilliant blue,
The sun shone from the heaven's down, upon these wayward two.
They sailed for just an hour to a well-known fishing ground,
And there they dropped their anchor to the depths without a sound;
Although the day seemed so serene, it held a cutting edge,
For many months, old Johnny there, had made a little pledge.
His prowess as a fisherman had taken second prize,
To this young man upon his boat, the one that he despised;
He offered up a challenge to alleviate this feud,
As Johnny eyed his nemesis, this competition brewed.
"It's each man for himself" he cried, "I will not share my catch."
"When we pull into port I'll prove this day you met your match!"
He growled aloud, and grabbed his tackle, tried to instill fear,
"You'll not out-fish me here today, I've got the latest gear!"
While Johnny prattled on at length, the young man softly sighed,
To him, this battle had begun because of Johnny's pride;
He reached for his old fishing pole, his grandpa's favorite one,
And on the end, he tied some bait, sat back to catch some sun.
He closed his eyes, and drifted there, his thoughts on family,
And reminisced of happy times, line dangling quietly;
His thoughts were interrupted several times by Johnny's growl,
Who started reeling several in, "Too small!" he heard him howl.
Now Johnny changed his bait and line, tried several different hooks,
While frantically he glanced about, and gave the man a look;
Each time he turned to this young man, he saw him resting there,
As if he had no worries, no resourcefulness, no cares.
He laughed to think he'd worried that this young man was a threat,
And then decided that he'd go all-out to win this bet;
He grabbed the biggest pole and line, and cast it out to sea,
And drooled in expectation of the trophy fish he'd seen.
'Twas only moments later, Johnny gave a little shout,
He felt his line grow heavy, knew he'd landed one, no doubt;
His line went taut, he gripped it hard, and roared a warrior cry,
"I've got it now … you wait and see!" as Johnny beamed with pride.
The young man watched him patiently, and smiled upon the sight,
He chuckled at the drama, as old Johnny held on tight;
It took almost an hour, as he fought it tooth and nail,
And several times he almost lost himself over the rail.
But in the end, he reeled him in … a sight you've never seen,
A fish so big that Johnny wept, this trophy of his dreams;
The young man grabbed the net and helped him haul it to the boat,
As quietly he listened to old Johnny boast and gloat.
"You are the master, there's no doubt … let's head to port, old man"
"You've won the competition, now it's time to head for land."
The two set sail, and when they docked, the others rushed to see,
The trophy fish that Johnny caught, as proud, as proud can be.
He glanced back at old Johnny, and he waved to say good-bye,
And saw the man come rushing over, gave a smile, and sigh;
"My boy, I know you tried your best, sometimes the fish don't bite,"
"You took it like a trooper though, no hard feelings tonight."
"They want to take some pictures for the news tonight at ten,"
"What say you join me for a drink, we'll watch together then."
"I know that had you not been there, to help me drag him in,"
"I'd have no more than stories, so I thank you, my new friend."
Old Johnny slapped him on the back, and went to join the crowd,
He posed for pictures, as he stood so tall, and oh so proud;
The young man gathered up his things, and watched the revelry,
And grabbed the basket he had hidden all day long at sea.
He heaved the laden tub of fish into his waiting truck,
And smiled at his good fortune, for the friendship he had struck.