Hey! Mr. Bat-marine man, fly on through the sea
Use your sonar, so you don’t bump into octopi.
Hey! Mr. Bat-marine man, I’ve no fear for thee;
if a shark comes, you’ll escape into the arms of the sky.
The time for hunting rodent-fish has gone down with the moon.
Now, you’re hangin’ upside-down,
with your wing-fins wrapped around you like tortillas.
Sleepin’ in your cave and clutchin’ like a stalactite,
while I, a stalagmite, stand in wonder and in fright.
Please, don’t use your fangs to bite me, Quesadilla.
Swimmin’ through the heavens, far above the coral trees,
bristly scales and shaggy fleece, on your gills you feel the breeze.
Flap your fins, majestic beast,
you have no need for knees and things could be worse.
I’m followin’ behind you, fingers gripped around your tail.
Together shall we sail, Agamemnon at the keel.
I’ve brought along my Trojan seahorse.
The other kids make fun of you; they call you a fish-bird;
but don’t let your heart be hurt. Their phraseology’s absurd.
If I had to use a word, I’d say fish-mammal.
Don’t take offense at scientists, like ornithologists,
and marine-biologists, who say you can’t exist,
who in jealousy dismiss, ‘cause you have two ecosystems
that you’re travelin’.
Then take me down, spelunkin’ through the seaweed of my mind.
It’s like the blind leadin' the blind, spittin’ sonic beams ahead,
like the whale songs of the dead, heard by sea lion cubs,
as I loose a stream of bubbles from my snorkel.
Yes, to row through skies of lily clouds with one tail wavin’ free,
silhouetted by the sea, circled by the circus sands,
with all memory and fate, driven deep beneath the waves.
Let me forget about today until tomorrow.
credits
from The Bath (2005),
released May 27, 2005
All songs written and performed by Achilles Tenderloin (Joe Augustin), 2004, 2005. This song is a parody, inspired by Bob Dylan's "Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man."
A vibrant vision of "Central Americana" from the Costa Rica-based artist, blending heartland devotionals with playful Tropicália grooves. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 27, 2022