“I love the people who take the time and spend  the money to go to the fly-in lodges.  The more people who do that, the better.    But, sometimes after being around the tourists for a while , I shake my head.”

He comes from Minneapolis, Chicago, or  New York,
Feels a little crowded so he makes his way up north,
Steps down off the floatplane, unloads on the dock;
Sees the world around him, and it's lake and trees and rock

Chorus
Yeah he's a  tourist -- sometimes obnoxious,
And there are days I prefer the trees,
But when infrequent, I am insolvent.
I hope the tourist likes what he sees.

He's brought along a tackle box  as big as my first car;
13 different fishing rods and spoons and jigs galore.
He's even brought a video, and a walleye- fishing book.
It'd be unkind to tell him all you need here is a hook.

He's known to get quite thirsty; he's known to get quite dry.
He only touches water, when it's mixed-in with his rye,
But we don't need him sober -- there'd be too much to lose,
We’d just hire a Cessna to haul the extra booze.

[Chorus]

He's come to catch a pickerel; he's come  to catch a pike.
He's come to catch a laker, or anything he likes.
We hear all of his stories -- how hard the fish have fought,
But the biggest fish around here is him and he's been caught.
We've got antlers over doorways, got a muskie on the wall,
And mounted in the corner there's a grizzly eight feet tall.
It's taxidermic heaven -- we can't afford to stop;
We spread this fertilizer just to get a decent crop.

[Chorus and end]