Jimmy Buffett
American singer-songwriter (1946–2023)
James William "Jimmy" Buffett (December 25, 1946 – September 1, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, author, businessman, and movie producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle.
Quotes
edit- To me it was more about eight years of bad policy before (Obama) got there that let this happen. It was Dracula running the blood bank in terms of oil and leases. I think that has more to do with it than how the president reacted to it.
- "Jimmy Buffett Organizes Gulf Benefit, Blames Bush for Spill". foxnews.com. July 6, 2010. Retrieved on January 6, 2011.
Song lyrics
editDown to Earth (1970)
edit- I never used to miss the chance to climb up on his knee
And listen to the many tales of life upon the sea.
We'd go sailing back on Barkentines we'd talk of things he did
Tomorrow just a day away, for the Captain and the kid.- The Captain and the Kid
- And now I wish I was somewhere other than here,
Down in some honky tonk, sippin' on a beer.
Yes, I wish I was somewhere other than here.
'Cause that great fillin' station holdup
Cost me two good years. - The Great Filling Station Holdup
- He went to Paris, looking for answers
To questions that bothered him so.
He was impressive, young and aggressive,
Saving the world on his own.
But the warm Summer breezes,
The French wines and cheeses
Put his ambition at bay.
And Summers and Winters
Scattered like splinters,
And four or five years slipped away.
- Now he lives in the islands, fishes the pilin's
And drinks his green label each day,
He's writing his memoirs and losing his hearing,
But he don't care what most people say.
Through eighty-six years of perpetual motion,
If he likes you he'll smile then he'll say,
Jimmy, some of it's magic, some of it's tragic,
But I had a good life all the way.- He Went to Paris
- I really do appreciate the fact you're sittin' here.
Your voice sounds so wonderful,
But your face don't look too clear.
So, Barmaid, bring a pitcher, another round of brew.
Honey, why don't we get drunk and screw.
Living & Dying in 3/4 Time (1974)
edit- I wish I had a pencil-thin mustache,
the "Boston Blackie" kind.
Or a two-toned Ricky Ricardo jacket,
And an autographed picture of Andy Divine.
- Come Monday, it'll be all right.
Come Monday, I'll be holding you tight.
I spent four lonely days in a brown L.A. haze
And I just want you back by my side.
- Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call.
Wanted to sail upon your waters
Since I was three feet tall.
You've seen it all, you've seen it all.Watched the men who rode you,
Switch from sails to steam.
And in your belly you hold the treasure
That few have ever seen.
Most of them dreams,
Most of them dreams.
- Mother, mother ocean, after all these years I've found
My occupational hazard being my occupations just not around.
I feel like I've drowned,
Gonna head uptown.- A Pirate Looks at Forty
- These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes,
Nothing remains quite the same.
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands,
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.
- Wasted away again in Margaritaville,
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
But I know it's nobody's fault.
- I blew out my flip flop,
Stepped on a pop top,
Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home.
But there's booze in the blender,
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.- Margaritaville
Son of a Son of a Sailor (1978)
edit- As the son of a son of a sailor,
I went out on the sea for adventure.
Expanding the view of the captain and crew
Like a man just released from indenture.
- As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man,
I have chalked up many a mile.
Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks,
And I've learned much from both of their styles.- Son of a Son of a Sailor
- Son of a son, son of a son, son of a son of a sailor.
Son of a gun; load the last ton,
One step ahead of the jailer.- Son of a Son of a Sailor
- Cheeseburger is paradise.
Heaven on earth with an onion slice.
Not too particular, not too precise.
I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise.I like mine with lettuce and tomato,
Heinz Fifty-seven and French fried potatoes.
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer.
Well, good God Almighty, which way do I steer?
For my cheeseburger in paradise.
- We’ve gotta roll with the punches
Learn to play all of our hunches.
Makin’ the best of whatever comes your way.
Forget that blind ambition
And learn to trust your intuition.
Plowin’ straight ahead come what may.- Cowboy in the Jungle
- Please don't say mañana if you don't mean it
I have heard those words for so very long.
Don't try to describe the ocean if you've never seen it.
Don't ever forget that you just may wind up being wrong.- Mañana
- Can't you feel 'em circlin' honey?
Can't you feel 'em swimmin' around?
You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
And you're the only bait in town.
You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
And you're the only girl in town.- Fins, written with Deborah McColl, Barry Chance, and Tom Corcoran
- Now, I don't know,
I don't know where I'm a gonna go
When the volcano blow.- Volcano, written with Keith Sykes and Harry Dailey
- Boat drinks.
Waitress, I need two more boat drinks.
Then I'm headin south 'fore my dream shrinks.
I gotta go where it's warm.
Coconut Telegraph (1981)
edit- I'm growing older but not up.
My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck.
Let those winds of time blow over my head.
I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead.- Growing Older But Not Up
One Particular Harbour (1983)
edit- I used to rule my world from a pay phone
And ships out on the sea.
But now times are rough
And I got too much stuff;
Can't explain the likes of me.But there's this one particular harbour,
So far but yet so near.
Where I see the days as they fade away,
And finally disappear.- One Particular Harbour, written with Bobby Holcomb
Last Mango in Paris (1985)
edit- We're gypsies in the palace, he's left us here alone.
The order of the Sleepless Knights will now assume the throne.
We ain't got no money, we ain't got no right,
But we're gypsies in the palace, we got it all tonight.- Gypsies in the Palace, written with Glenn Frey and Will Jennings
- I went down to Captain Tony's to get out of the heat
When I heard a voice call out to me, "Son, come have a seat."
I had to search my memory as I looked into those eyes;
Our lives change like the weather but a legend never dies- Last Mango in Paris
Banana Wind (1996)
edit- Enduring echoes call out from his past.
Time ain't for saving, no time's not for that.
Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire,
He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare.- False Echoes
