You're in the back seat and you say to yourself
"Ok, it doesn't matter anyway"
It's weeds pulling weeds and you're blaming yourself
Ok, we're all indifferent in our own ways
You're in trouble now and you say to yourself
"Ok, my baby clean conscience anyways"
You're in the back seat and you say to yourself
"Ok, it doesn't matter anyway"
It's weeds pulling weeds and you're blaming yourself
Ok, we're all indifferent in our own ways
You're in trouble now and you say to yourself
"Ok, my baby clean conscience anyways"
Four fingered fisherman, all right
Four fingered fisherman so uptight
Hello
You're getting on no one
You're both right
Four fingered fisherman all night long
Four fingered fisherman so uptight though
So uptight though



Lyrics submitted by PLANES

Track duration: 02:28


Four Fingered Fisherman song meanings
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  • 0
    My Interpretation:Eleventy has got it spot on, but for the two parts he didn't get: The weeds pulling weeds part and the all night long part

    Weeds pulling weeds is one of Isaac's many self defeating patterns that he loves so much. It's basically something bad getting rid of something else that's bad, such as drinking because you're sad about your alcoholism, or doing drugs to get over the fact that doing drugs has ruined your life. The fisherman is basically blaming himself and using that to feel better about himself.

    Then the all night long is, I think, saying that everyone is like this fisherman. The entire human race are four fingered fishermen all night long, or constantly, making poor excuses for feeling upset about stupid things.
    Flag MechanicalBirdson May 28, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:He's uptight 'cause he lost a finger...
    don'tcha think?
    Flag rhigbie1on April 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think this song is about someone who has previously been in control over their life/situations but has recently 'taken a backseat,' and is convincing themself that is doesnt matter, that they are happy to just go with it, even if it means 'weeds are pulling out weeds' (ie bad solutions are replacing bad solutions but this still just leaves bad solutions, or his life is not going to go anywhere from a pointless circling of possible resolutions) and the fisherman is telling himself it doesnt matter, he's just going to continue being apathetic. He's blaming himself because he's not going to step back in and take control of his life or the situation, but he's reassuring himself that it doesnt matter because he's not the only one apathetic or indifferent, that everyone is indifferent in some aspects.
    He begins to realise he is in trouble now, because he has continued to take a backseat and his life is now spiraling out of control - he is still trying to convince himself that its not his fault he is innocent with a clean conscience even though he knows it was his indifference that let things get this bad.
    He criticises the uptight and the worried and the people that argue over pointless situations, reccomending that they relax and drift through life like he has because even though he's lost control he's not constantly stressed and striving.
    so to me its kind of asking whether we want to float through life, letting it spiral out of control or whether we want to be uptight and maintain control of our lives but be constantly stressed over things that dont matter
    the four fingered fisherman referance is maybe to the pointless 4 finger 1 thumb argument, maybe to the reason he stopped striving and originally took a backseat (got his finger bitten off and doesnt want back in, convinces himself it deosnt matter,) maybe to the fact that life is hard as it would be for a four fingered fisherman - to me they all fit take it how you will
    sorry for the really long post and this could all be completely wrong :s
    but either way i love the song
    Flag scissorspaperrockon July 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This is a really really interesting song.

    Is everyone thinking of a four-fingered fisherman as having four fingers in both hands? What about the thumbs, are they fingers? One of the most childish arguments people can have with eachother is whether they have four fingers and a thumb on a hand or five fingers (as in 10 fingers and 10 toes). I think this is what the fisherman was argueing about. Also, the stereotypical identity of the fisherman is that he is extremely stubborn, arrogant and bitter (from TV and movie fictional representation), so I think this song explores those qualities within us rather than telling the story of an actual fisherman, hence he doesn't have to actually be a fisherman (as no other nautical links are made in the song).

    I think this song is about what one partner thinks
    about after having an argument with his/her lover.

    I think I'll explain myself by going through the lyrics in detail.

    You're in the back seat and you say to yourself
    "Ok, it doesn't matter anyway"

    The 'fisherman' has been kicked out of the house (or willingly left) and has been forced to sleep in the backseat of his car. He is feeling guilty over the argument and says to himself, admittedly, that what he was argueing about doesn't really matter anyway.

    It's weeds pulling weeds and you're blaming yourself
    Ok, we're all indifferent in our own ways

    The 'weed' is someone to blame that's being 'pulled out' by another person trying to win the argument, but when everyone is to blame 'weeds' are pulling 'weeds' out, and in the end it leaves you just blaming yourself (the result of such an argument). The fisherman is feeling guilt now, and he reflects that although his opinions and his partners' differ, everyone being different is ok because everyone having differences unifies us.

    You're in trouble now and you say to yourself
    "Ok, my baby clean conscience anyways"

    The fisherman's lover is upset with him and so he says to himself, "oh well, atleast she's got a clean conscience".

    Four fingered fisherman, all right
    Four fingered fisherman so uptight

    The fisherman concludes that being stubborn and arrogant makes you a horrible 'uptight' person. I'm not sure but it sounds like the second line says "Fingers for fisherman so uptight", which says that stuff in the world is only there to give people something to argue about (which might be what the fisherman is thinking now).

    Hello
    You're getting on no one
    You're both right

    The fisherman says "hello" to his partner in the morning after the argument but she has been hurt by it. She hasn't forgiven the fisherman, so she won't have sex and he guessed as much.
    So that's something that they're both right about.


    Four fingered fisherman all night long
    [Fingers for] fisherman so uptight though
    So uptight though

    I'm not certain about this part. Maybe in the past the arrogant attitudes worked with the other arrogant ladies but it ends up just making the man so 'uptight and bitter' with this lady.
    Flag david123on July 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:edit:

    letting go
    Flag tincanmanon April 12, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Shit, I've got no idea what this song means. A four fingered fisherman must lead a miserably pointless life, eh? That's all I can get at, anyway... it's convincing yourself "it's alright" about a pointless situation you were upset over before.

    You're in the backseat as opposed to the driver's because you're not in control.

    It's coping through apathy.

    All I wanted to say in the first place is that someone needs to make a tab for this FOR REALS.
    Flag tincanmanon January 03, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Well i like to make storys out of songs kind of.

    A man is arguing with a fisherman about how there 'indifferent in their own ways' which I think means theyre both alike in their own ways. The fisherman refuses to believe it and cuts a finger off while scaling the fish for the man (which the man is there to buy). They continue arguing on the way to the hospital while in the cab. Eventually the cabbie turns around and says their both right. The man thinks the fisherman is uptight because he wont give up his argument. Their both right because everyones different, but in some ways everyones the same. All night means he has to be at the hospital all night arguing because he has to be with him all night now cus it was kinda his fault too.

    Weeds pulling weeds just means the argument is pointless. Well thats what i get out of the song. Its such a great song.

    As for the meaning of the song i don't really know, but i like to think of it as a story.
    Flag Rightbackon July 29, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Since i live on an Island, and I have heard plenty of stories from fisherman, sailors, and guys claiming they are pirates (happens in harbor towns). I simply like to think of this song as just poetic irony. Just think about it. Four Fingered Fisherman...It would suck to be a 4 fingered fisherman. This is one of Brock's most briliant creations of all time. One of my favorite MM songs. Sorry I cant help more about what it REALLY means..
    Flag stuck on an islandon April 26, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I like Mark Kozelek's acoustic version, never heard the original, though :-s
    Flag wookion April 19, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is dealing with a sexual encounter between two inexperienced people. Read through the lyrics, I think this makes sense.
    Flag tenserockon December 10, 2006   Link

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