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Billy Collins’s “The Fish” Lyrics by Chalbert

CHalbertA3

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As soon as the elderly waiter
placed before me the fish I had ordered,
it began to stare up at me
with its one flat, iridescent eye.

I feel sorry for you., it seemed to say,
eating alone in this awful restaurant
bathed in such unkindly light
and surrounded by these dreadful murals of Sicily.

And I feel sorry for you, too—
yanked from the sea and now lying dead
next to some boiled potatoes in Pittsburgh—
I said back to the fish as I raised my fork.

And thus my dinner in an unfamiliar city
with its rivers and lighted bridges
was graced not only with chilled wine
and lemon slices but with compassion and sorrow

even after the waiter removed my plate
with the head of the fish still staring
and the barrel vault of its delicate bones
terribly exposed, save for a shroud of parsley.
Credits

About “Billy Collins’s “The Fish”” by Chalbert

Read the complete lyrics to "Billy Collins’s “The Fish”" by Chalbert from the album "CHalbertA3". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Billy Collins’s “The Fish”" is performed by Chalbert. from the album "CHalbertA3" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Billy Collins’s “The Fish”", explore more songs by Chalbert using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for Chalbert · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Billy Collins’s “The Fish”" is credited to Chalbert. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Billy Collins’s “The Fish”" appears on "CHalbertA3".

Visit the Chalbert artist page at /artist/chalbert for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


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