When he was young you'd not find him doing well in school
His mind would turn unto the waters
Always the focus of adolescent ridicule,
He has no time for farmer's daughters
Alienated from the clique society,
A lonely boy finds peace in fishing
His mother says "John this is not the way life's supposed to be"
"Don't you see the life that you are missing?"

And he says

When I grow up I want to be,
one of the harvesters of the sea
I think before my days are done,
I want to be a fisherman

Now years gone by we find man that rules the sea
He sets out on a dark May morning
To bring his catch back to this small community
He doesn't see the danger dawning
Four hours up, oh the ocean swelled and swelled,
The fog rolled in it started raining
"The starboard bow" "Oh my God we're going down!"
The do not hear his frantic mayday

And he says

When I grow up I want to be,
one of the harvesters of the sea
I think before my days are done,
I want to be a fisherman
"I'll live and die a fisherman"
Calling John the Fisherman