Permit To Go Fishin'
©2006 Garrett Clevenger

Chorus:
A                  I don't need no permit to go fishin'
A    E           It's my God-given right to fish the sea
D   E   A      and every lake, river, creek and tributary.
D E D E A   I'll bait my hook and catch a fish forme.

E   A      I was sleepin' at my favorite fishin' hole,
E   A      liein' in the shade with my pole
D  A      danglin' in the water, waitin' for a fish
A  E  A  to pull my line and wake me from my lull.

E   A      All of a sudden I felt a tuggin'
E   A      I held on tight and opened up my eyes.
D  A      Instead of findin' a fish waitin' there for me.
A  E  A  A ranger was standin' there to my surprise.

E   A      "Son, do you gotta permit?"
E   A      "Well," I said, "that all depends,
D  A      "I don't need any stinkin' permision
A  E  A  "I've been fishin' at this spot since I was ten."

{chorus}

E   A      Ranger Dick gave me a citation.
E   A      Then said it's 'cause of folks like me.
D  A      That we can't fund any education
A  E  A  and many holes are now history.

E   A      I thought 'bout that as my court date drew near.
E   A      I was fightin' my cause all the way.
D  A      It must be written in the Constitution
A  E  A  Our right to fish without needin' to pay.

{chorus}

E   A      I lost the case and paid the legal fees.
E   A      It cost more than a permit would have been.
D  A      I also learned a very valuable lesson.
A  E  A  Please heed my words so this won't happen again.

E   A      'Cause yesterday I grabbed my fishin' gear.
E   A      I went down to my fishin' hole.
D  A      There were 50 other people fightin' for my spot.
A  E  A  There were no fish left and the property was sold.

A                  I now buy a permit to go fishin'
A    E           it's my responsibility.
D   E   A      You gotta support your passion with money
D E D E A   or else it's gonna be history.