…like a fish needs a bicycle

I know, I know, enough with the fish already. What is this my third fish post?

Well, you see, on Thanksgiving day, my brother-in-law Carl, when I told him about the animal idiom themes I’ve been sketching lately, he suggested a phrase from the U2 song “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World” (Achtung Baby.)

…nothin’ much to say I guessJust the same as all the restBeen trying to throw your arms around the worldAnd a woman needs a manLike a fish needs a bicycleWhen you’re tryin’ to throw your arms around the worldI’m gonna run to you, run to you, run to youI’m gonna run to you, run to you, run to youI’m gonna run to you, run to you, run to you……and on and on.

So what is the meaning of this particular song?

You got me there.

I understand that Bono and the lads meant it as a bit of a drinking song. In fact, I believe it may have been one of the 5 thousand U2 songs we heard performed by The Glass Onion Band, at the Quays Pub in Galway, on our trip to Ireland last year. They love their U2 over there in Ireland. I’ll tell ya, get enough Jameson whiskey in your gullet and you might find yourself singing U2 songs all night as well.

Now, as for the phrase, “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,” well that’s simply a feminist slogan, suggesting that men are superfluous to women’s needs.

You know.

Funny, I realized how far I’d come, when Carl reminded me of that line and my mind conjured up the ridiculous fish image you see above, rather than the passionate, bra-burning, feminist fervor it once would have. I’m not saying my political views have changed all that much, but I have calmed down a tad over the years. These days I burn up any excess energy by drawing goofy cartoon animals and I try to keep my under garments in a nice, cool, dry place.

As for women and men, I don’t know about need, but a little interdependence is always nice. As for fish, they should probably stick to roller blades.

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