The Best Tasting Fish of the Year

by Wayne Leman

Humpy soup is sure good,

And reds are wonderful smoked.

But the best tasting fish of the year

Is the first king shared around the town.

The winter is long, cold, and dark,

We wonder if Spring's gonna come.

But we know that it's here

When we share around the town,

That best tasting fish of the year.

Someone would get it,

That first king of the year.

Then family to family would share.

No matter how small

The pieces would be,

It would be the best fish of the year.

We salted our silvers,

And dried some dogs,

And pickled fish sure tasted good,

But nothing could beat

That best taste of all,

The first king shared around the town.

Kings always taste good,

Any time of the year,

But why, tell me, why,

Does it taste best of all,

That first one that's shared around the town?

'Cuz it tells us that Spring's here?

'Cuz it's eaten so fresh?

Maybe so--

But you know what it could be,

Why it tastes best?

'Cuz it's shared all around the town.

Copyright 1994

Harry Todd deserves a special thanks for the music on this page. I asked him if he remembered a very old song and sent him some of the lyrics. The very next day this song arrived in the mail. What a wonderful surprise. There is a special dance step for this music. It is very graceful and lovely. Many older people will recognize it. I don't know the spelling of the dance but it sounds like var-sou-vienna. It was very popular in Ninilchik. The poetry is written by my cousin Wayne Leman

Return to the Dacha