“Why’s everyone on the internet so mean?” asks Corook in “If I Were a Fish (feat. Olivia Barton).” Well, readers, we’ve got great news: not everyone on the internet is mean, because Corook and Olivia Barton inhabit at least one corner of the internet.
On April 11, 2023, TikTok user hicorook released a TikTok with the following caption: “I was having a very emotional day, feeling insecure and out of place. So I cried to Olivia, and after feeling through it, we wrote this song in 10 minutes to remember the joy in being different Happy Tuesday”.
In the video, Corook, sitting next to Olivia Barton, wears a frog hat, a light green shirt, and happy orange pants. Her and Barton giggle throughout the video as both sing and Corook strums a dark brown guitar.
Corook’s tune drew the attention of 18.2 million TikTok users, inspiring 2.9 million users to like the ditty and nearly 50 thousand to comment their love for the song.
It couldn’t have happened 50 years ago. Read up on the impact of virality on artists.
Lyrics to Corook’s “If I Were a Fish”
@hicorook I was having a very emotional day, feeling insecure and out of place. So I cried to Olivia and after feeling through it, we wrote this song in 10 minutes to remember the joy in being different happy Tuesday
Intro
‘Kay, ready?
One, two, three, four
Verse 1
If I were a fish and you caught me
You’d say, “Look at that fish”
Shimmering in the sun
Such a rare one
Can’t believe that you caught one
If I were a fish and you caught me
You’d say, “Look at that fish”
Heaviest in the sea
You’d win first prize
If you caught me
Chorus
Why’s everybody on the internet so mean?
Why’s everybody so afraid of what they’ve never seen?
If I was scrolling through and I saw me
Flopping around and singing my song
I’d say, “Damn, they’re cute” and sing along
Verse 2
If I were a rock you would pick me up
And say, “That’s a nice rock”
Skippiest on the lake
Plop, plop, plop
I’m the perfect shape
And if I were a sock you would put me on
And say, “That’s a nice sock”
Happiest as a pair
I found you now I’m not scared
Chorus
Why’s everybody on the internet so mean?
Why’s everybody so afraid of what they’ve never seen?
If I was scrolling through and I saw me
Flopping around and singing my song
I’d say, “Damn, they’re cute” and sing along
Bridge
How lucky are we?
Of all the fish in the sea?
You get to be you
And I get to be me
Just let them be mean
We’re as free as can be
To be the you-est of you
And the me-est of me
Outro
If I were a fish
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
If I were a fish
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
If I were a fish
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
If I were a fish
Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Analysis Of Corook’s “If I Were a Fish (feat. Olivia Barton)”
Verse 1 Breakdown
In the first verse, Corook and Barton compare themselves to fish. They consider themselves “a catch”—in other words, they use the metaphor of fishing to state how valuable they see themselves as people.
Imagining a subject in a different context can help one see it more clearly. Here, seeing themselves as animals—beings who shimmer in the sun and are appreciated for their weight—helps Corook and Barton appreciate themselves as human beings. Thus, this verse is a thought experiment facilitating self-love.
Chorus Breakdown
The chorus reveals this song’s antagonist: critics on the internet. It calls out strangers for being mean and reveals that the source of this cruelty is often a fear of difference.
Again, Corook and Barton bring positivity back into the mix via the fish metaphor, as the verb “flopping” suggests. By saying that they would sing along if they saw themselves singing on the internet, the two further emphasize their love for themselves and their vision of a kinder, more collaborative, supportive internet.
Verse 2 Breakdown
In verse two, the thought experiments continue. They get sillier—a skippable rock and a wearable sock—but the sentiment is the same: Corook and Barton feel that they would deserve love in any form.
Perhaps it is notable that, because the subjects of their metaphors are objects or animals, these writers don’t focus on human beauty standards as their souce of value. Instead, fun and social qualities (like being skippable, shimmery, or coming in a pair) are emphasized.
This implies Corook and Barton think being a companion and having fun talents is more important than whether a person fits in with what the internet thinks is “pretty.”
Bridge Breakdown
In the bridge, Corook and Barton arrive at a joyful conclusion: what’s most important and valuable is to be oneself. Being oneself constitutes authenticity and freedom—and that’s something the internet can never take away from somebody, no matter how mean strangers may be.
Find out what “Love You So” by The King Khan & BBQ Show is really about here.
