—Chris Smith 1911, first recorded 1928 by "Ragtime Texas" Henry Thomas. This is Taj Mahal's version
Betcha goin' fishin' all of the time,
Baby's goin' fishing too
Bet your life, your sweet wife's
Gonna catch more fish than you
Chorus:
Many fish bites if ya got good bait
Here's a little tip I would like to relate
Many fish bites if ya got a good bait
I'm a goin' fishin' mama's goin' fishin'
And my baby's goin' fishin' too
I went down to my favorite fishin' hole
Baby grabbed me a pole and line
Throw my pole on in, caught a nine pound catfish
Now I brought him on home for supper time, provin'
Chorus
Baby brother 'bout to run me outta my mind
Sayin' can I go fishin' with you?
I took him on down to the fishin' hole
Now what do you think that he did do?
Chorus (2):
Pulled a great big fish out the bottom of the pond
And he laughed and jumped 'cause he was real gone
Many fish bites if ya got a good bait
I'm a goin' fishin' mama's goin' fishin'
And my baby's goin' fishin' too
Chorus
Put him in the pot baby, put him in the pan honey
Cook him til he's nice and brown
Make a batch of buttermilk hoe-cakes mama
And you chew them things
And you chomp 'em on down, singin'
Chorus
Repeat verse 1
Chorus
Verse:
| I | I | I-V | I |
| I | I | II | V |
Chorus:
| I | I | IV | IV – I |
| I | I | I | I |
| I-V | I |