What does "If wishes were fishes we'd all swim in riches" mean?

What does "If wishes were fishes we'd all swim in riches" mean?

This phrase doesn't make any sense to me, though I do understand the point it's making. But by the logic of the phrase, if a wish were a fish, why would we all just be swimming with the fishes?

If wishes were fishes: used to express the impossibility to make a wish come true.

It appears to come from and to be a variant of:

It actually comes or was borrowed from the not so commonly used, original nursery rhyme from Scotland:

If wishes were horses then beggars would ride,

If turnips were swords I’d have one by my side.

If ‘ifs’ and ‘ands’ were pots and pans

There would be no need for tinker’s hands!

Source: (www.doctoroz.com)

This is (of course!) a Scottish saying: basically the point is wishes are useless. Or more simply: "Shut up and work harder." It's that simple.

(The second part of the phrase can be anything. "If wishes were fishes we wouldn't have to work" or simply "If wishes were fishes we'd all be rich." Or it might be specific to your situation ... "If wishes were fishes we wouldn't have to drive these damn trucks for a living!")

Anyone who grows up Scottish is frequently told, "I cried when I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet" and "If wishes were fishes..." and other gems such as "shut up and work harder".

It is an admonishment if you are lazy. It expresses the pointless futility of "wishing" for something. It's simply saying: "if silly wishes/prayers/dreams/hopes were real, we'd all be rich. So, shut up and start working."

Note that as spagirl points out there are any number of variations of the phrase, with no connection at all to fish. Example: "if wishes were horses then beggars would ride".

It means that there are a lot of fish about and it isn't hard to catch one. So if wishes were as common as fishes, everyone would have a considerable amount of wishes and would presumably be as rich as they liked.