Wetting a Line (IYKB)
Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2012 12:08 pm
A river story from the If You Know Bourke project - haven't posted the piece online yet...
Wetting a Line
When the sun is on the river like a beacon in the haze
And that lazy old life giver sings a song of dreamy days
As the birds that you are hearing are each calling you by name
And the fish beneath water are beckoning the same
It is time to cease your toil and to shed your heavy load
(Though that may mean retire or resign)
For the answer to your questions are found somewhere off the road
You are being called to go and wet a line
When the river rises slowly in response to distant rains
The news is echoed swiftly through the hills and on the plains
For the dryer times mean leaner times which many won’t survive
But the rising river indicates the bush has come alive
Then deeper holes reverberate as whispers fill the gills
That the time has come to procreate and dine
And fishermen who know this call begin to hone their skills
As they are called to go and wet a line
There are some who come to visit while some others cannot leave
For they heed a deeper calling without respite or reprieve
And some say that it is in their blood or some say in their dream
While others know that its because their blood is in the stream
But whether you are passing through or feel compelled to stay
You still will feel that tingle in your spine
And may look towards the moon and stars to help you guide your way
As you follow fate and go to wet a line
The stories travel quickly on the long bush telegraph
And each fisherman must take his chances on his own on behalf
There are details such as time and bait that torture the discreet
But to know for sure, you really have to go and wet your feet
And if you get a few things right and if luck goes your way
You may feel that special thrill you can’t define
You may find that you have caught yourself some dinner on that day
But only if you go and wet a line
The fall and rise will come again as river people know
They have come to terms with time and respect the ebb and flow
They will hold on through the dry times and keep watch for the rain
In the knowledge that the cycle turns and life will come again
And the fish will seek the deeper holes and hold on just the same
And our paths will either diverge or entwine
As the river keeps on rolling by to neither bless nor blame
The age old call to go and wet a line
h
Wetting a Line
When the sun is on the river like a beacon in the haze
And that lazy old life giver sings a song of dreamy days
As the birds that you are hearing are each calling you by name
And the fish beneath water are beckoning the same
It is time to cease your toil and to shed your heavy load
(Though that may mean retire or resign)
For the answer to your questions are found somewhere off the road
You are being called to go and wet a line
When the river rises slowly in response to distant rains
The news is echoed swiftly through the hills and on the plains
For the dryer times mean leaner times which many won’t survive
But the rising river indicates the bush has come alive
Then deeper holes reverberate as whispers fill the gills
That the time has come to procreate and dine
And fishermen who know this call begin to hone their skills
As they are called to go and wet a line
There are some who come to visit while some others cannot leave
For they heed a deeper calling without respite or reprieve
And some say that it is in their blood or some say in their dream
While others know that its because their blood is in the stream
But whether you are passing through or feel compelled to stay
You still will feel that tingle in your spine
And may look towards the moon and stars to help you guide your way
As you follow fate and go to wet a line
The stories travel quickly on the long bush telegraph
And each fisherman must take his chances on his own on behalf
There are details such as time and bait that torture the discreet
But to know for sure, you really have to go and wet your feet
And if you get a few things right and if luck goes your way
You may feel that special thrill you can’t define
You may find that you have caught yourself some dinner on that day
But only if you go and wet a line
The fall and rise will come again as river people know
They have come to terms with time and respect the ebb and flow
They will hold on through the dry times and keep watch for the rain
In the knowledge that the cycle turns and life will come again
And the fish will seek the deeper holes and hold on just the same
And our paths will either diverge or entwine
As the river keeps on rolling by to neither bless nor blame
The age old call to go and wet a line
h
