Catfish Blues

The speaker imagines being a catfish in the deep sea, where women would chase him, then describes visiting his girlfriend while her husband is away. The mood is playful and boastful, but the later image of trains that do not go his way adds a note of frustration. The song moves between fantasy, flirtation, and a sense that circumstances are not lining up for him.

The catfish is a comic image of someone who wants to be desirable and pursued rather than doing the pursuing. “Fishin’ after me” extends the fishing picture: the women are imagined as trying to catch him. The two trains suggest different opportunities or directions, but neither suits the speaker. One runs at midnight and the other only during the day, so timing may be part of his problem.

The lyrics leave the speaker’s situation deliberately loose. His visit to a girlfriend whose husband has just left can sound mischievous, but the song does not explain the relationship or what happens next. Likewise, the trains may stand for missed chances, choices that do not fit, or simply a blues-style way to express bad luck. The confident fantasy and the unhappy train image can coexist: he boasts, yet also feels that life is not taking him where he wants to go.