“‘The Fishing Pole’ is a song that I couldn’t have written without some life experience,” Bishop notes. “When you live a few years, watching friends and family come and go… when you see the ups and downs of life… the little choices that we all make along the way that end up being turning points in our lives… that’s when you realize that every day counts.
“The 16th century preacher John Bradford was the guy who was watching some prisoners being led to an execution when he said the famous line, ‘There but by the grace of God go I.’ And it’s true. Anyone of us could have fallen onto hard times and then made bad choices. That’s what this song is about.”
In a characteristically creative transformation of Bradford’s observation from long ago into a contemporary parable, Bishop’s song, co-written with Josh Rison, recounts a story of two boys who share good times fishing together before going their separate — and different — ways.
One became a preacher… loved and regaled.
The other boy was in and out… of the county jail.
And, in the end, it’s that youthful companionship, renewed over the course of the song’s unfolding, that betokens the redemption that God offers — and in doing so, it winds up harkening back to the same message revealed in “Time to Let Go and Let God” after all.
“While the world may attach a tag to us that we spend our whole lives trying to shake off,” Bishop observes, “God sees a soul that is worth redeeming. He sees the best version of us hiding underneath. And He tells us that all our mistakes, poor choices, and regrets can be erased by the grace He’s offering to us.
“‘The Fishing Pole’ isn’t really about fishing, or even friendship, as much as it is about letting God make your life better.”
“The Fishing Pole” is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.