Cruising up the lake I drove Beyond my normal fishing holes Searching for that special one to have a little splendid fun When to my left I spot a scene A quiet cove beyond all dreams Turning sharply on the wheel I throttle down and grab my reel Flip the troller - speed at a crawl Set to cast and drop my jaw! NO FISHING Here Beyond This Rope Read the sign nailed to a float What rule is this that cramps my style I\'ve searched far and long - come many a mile By who\'s authority to hold me back? I felt my rights were under attack I didn\'t know the owner\'s name Some say he\'s crazy some say he\'s sane Other declare he\'s long past gone But all I knew this sign was wrong! The lake was mine in all its glory Still I thirst for more, so here\'s the story I pushed the rope down with my oar Drowning the sign I chose to ignore Stealth like gliding I made my way Toward some hickory trees in decay Further in the air grew stale The water dingy it had a smell Focus now - this is your chance If I can woo her I\'ll do my dance There\'s my ticket - a sunken barrel Tossed my spinner and gave it a whirl When in a flash I felt a bump Knew in a jiffy I was not skunked! I felt a shimmer shoot up my spine >From something tugging the end of my line I have you now, you beautiful thing It\'s what I came for - my voice in sing I have to admit she put up a fight But it was useless under my might. To the spoils - reaching down to grab her Lifting her high in triumphant gesture Oh me! Oh my! What have I done? It\'s not a bass, but a sleazy Old Drum! Before I knew it she gave me the slip Sliding behind me slapping my hip. She flipped and flopped with no shame or regret as she knocked over tackle and slimed up the deck What in the world have you done to me? Get out of here before someone sees! For I am a bass man, a true one untold A long standing member, a name to uphold I lunged out at her with a snarl and a shout But hooked my shoe on the lure she spit out Losing my balance I fell like a tree Landing in ooze skinning my knee Lying beside her I smelled her stench breath I started to gag, longing for death Get out you - you boat wrecker! I said with a cry As I squeezed her ungently around her soft sides I flung her over, yet not soon enough For she let out on me mustard like stuff I lay there in horror feeling dirty inside Not knowing to gun it or sink down and hide How did this happen? Why to me? Wiping my face on the end of my sleeve That Stupid fish! I grimaced in pain Then let out a chuckle knowing who was to blame See, I\'d ignored the sign, and broken the law Thought it was decrepit, with one or two flaws But that did not change the fact of its power For had I obeyed I\'d be fishing this hour Now this was a warning from a No Fishing sign Imagine leaving God\'s Commandments behind Whether you treat it like an old artifact Stuffed in a glass case or hid out back The results for breaking will still be the same For there\'s power in those words because of \"His Name\" Alive and unchanging from beginning to end He wrote them to guide us - they will not bend There\'s a silver lining this poem will address That our Lord is forgiving if we only confess He gave his Son for the price of our sins So we can have peace and life forever with Him So as we dust off our rigs this spring And add to our reels new store bought string Let us remember this Easter Holiday Christ passion for us on Good Friday May your trips be frequent, your bass none too few Your horses run strong, and your stories half true Enjoy God\'s creation in all its majestic apparel Oh! And stay away from the drum that lives by a barrel!