The Old Man and the Sea: Sings!

Scene: The ocean off Cuba. An old man is in a small boat, rowing out to sea. He is all alone.

Old man: (Singing)
Fishing… is what I do, it’s what I’ve done
since I was young, just a boy, a fishing pole
was my first toy.

But now…I am old, my bones are cold
And no fish sold, I have failed, I can’t believe
This ship has sailed

(Chorus)
And ohhh! I’ve gotta get row-ing out to sea!
Said oh! I know…I’ve got a prim-o date with des-tin-y!

This is my li-ife!
It’s the path I have cho-o-sen.
This is my li-ife!
Ain’t gotta fix what-I-know ain’t bro-o-ken.

Fish it!

(key/tempo change)
Et-cet-er-aaaa!!!

Old Man: It sure is lonely out here in the sea. Lonely and wet and dangerous. But today I just know I’m gonna catch a fish! I just know it!

Old Man: (singing)
Oh fishes are you out there?
Oh fishes can you hear me?
I’ve gotta dare to be-lieve
That you’re wai-ting for me
And my pole.

(the fisherman’s line goes taut, but when he reels it in, all he has is some old shoe!)
Old Man: I wondered where that went! (laughs)

Old Man:
Oh fishes are you out there?
Oh fishes can you hear me?
You’ve left me a-lone for so long
And I’ve got to be strong
For the boy.

Old Man: Yes, fishies, there’s a boy at home. He such a good, loyal boy and he wants me to teach him how to fish! Can you believe that fishes? He wants me to teach him! But golly, I haven’t caught anything in forever!

Old Man:
Oh fishes are you out there?
Oh fishes can you hear me?
I just need to come back
With a big fish on my rack.
If I could…

Old Man: I’d be a hero! I’d be the talk of the town and the boy’s parents would let him fish with me again! Yes, if I could just catch one big fish, just one, everything would be okay again!

Old Man:
Oh fishes are you out there?
Oh fishes can you hear me?
Oh fishes are you out there?
Oh fishes can you –

Old Man: I can’t believe it! I’ve got a bite! Oh my goodness oh my goodness! It’s a big one! Looks like this one is gonna take a bit of the old elbow grease (laughs). Come on, I can do it. I’m going to catch this fish, dag nabbit (laughs). I’m going to catch it for the boy. (struggles) Phew. I bet I know what this fish is thinking. I bet if it could talk it’d start

Old Man: (singing in a low voice)
Talking like this

Old Man: (changes his voice)
Or maybe like this.

Old Man: And what he’d say is: (sings)
I’m an old and feisty marlin
Been swimmin’-in-the-sea for years.
And I’m big and I’m stout, I was born a stubborn lout
So I can swim without no fears.

So if you think you can catch me
I hope you’re made of steel
Cause it’s a fight you’ll get, and get set to get wet
We’ll just see who’s the meal.

Old Man: And if he said that, I’d just say with: (sings)
I’m an old and feisty fisher
You’re not the first fish I’ve seen
You might say it’s my lot to have my fishing line taut.
And I’m the best that’s ever been.

Old Man: Wow! For two days I’ve been wrestling this marlin. I’m pooped! Now I just have to get back to shore. Oh no! Sharks! They’re going to eat my marlin!

Old Man: (sings)
Get back!
(get back)
Don’t steal this fish from me.

Get back!
(get back)
Your meal is not to be.

Old Man: And the sharks would sing: (sings)
Doot. De-doot. Doot-doot-doot. Dee-doot
Doot. De-doot.
Doot-doot-doot. Dee-doot
Doot. De-doot. Doot-doot-doot. Dee-doot
Doot. De-doot.
Doot-doot-doot. Dee-doot-doooooommmmmm

Old Man: (Harpoons a shark)
Take that!
(take that)
It’s time for you to flee!

Take that!
(take that)
Go find some other sea!

(the shark dies, but has eaten some of the marlin. The old man is weak and there are more sharks coming. The rest of the one-man movie has songs of sadness, fatigue, and disbelief. The old man sings in what he believes would be the voice of the other sharks, the captured marlin, seagulls, and the unseen boy back home. The movie ends with the Old Man arriving at the shores of his home with the skeleton of the marlin. Nobody else is seen, but the Old Man sings a prophetic song about what else will happen. i.e. “Oh, people will think it’s a shark, in the dark, what a lark.”)