Edward Shanks makes a playful case for staying inland. The opening lines bounce between Sussex villages—Amberley, Storrington, Washington—insisting that in these places you cannot see or smell the sea. Then the speaker asks, with comic bluntness, why anyone would want to visit “the home of silly fish.” He is not awed by the ocean; he prefers earth and air, and he is happy to let fish keep the sea if they will leave the land to him. The mood is light and teasing, like a cheerful argument against seaside longing. Rather than feeling deprived, the speaker celebrates being satisfied with his own ordinary landscape.
A New Song about the Sea — Summary
From Amberley to Storrington, From Storrington to Amberley, From Amberley to Washington You cannot see or smell the sea. But why the devil should you wish To see the home of silly fish ?
Since I prefer the earth and air, The fish may wallow in the sea And live the life that they prefer, If they will leave the land to me, So wish for each what he may wish, The earth for me, the sea for fish.