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Jimmy Buffett




Music World  →  Lyrics  →  J  →  Jimmy Buffett  →  Albums  →  Living And Dying In 3/4 Time

Jimmy Buffett Album


Living And Dying In 3/4 Time (1974)
1974
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By: Jimmy Buffett

Now they make new movies in old black and white
With happy endings, where nobody fights
So if you find yourself in that nostalgic rage
Honey, jump right up and show your age

Chorus:
I wish I had a pencil thin mustache
The "Boston Blackie" kind
A two toned Ricky Ricardo jacket
And an autographed picture of Andy Devine

I remember bein' buck-toothed and skinny
Writin' fan letters to Sky's niece Penny
Oh I wish I had a pencil thin mustache
Then I could solve some mysteries too

Then it's Bandstand, Disneyland, growin' up fast
Drinkin' on a fake I.D.
Yeah, and Rama of the jungle was everyone's Bawana
But only jazz musicians were smokin' marijuana
Yeah, I wish I had a pencil thin mustache
Then I could solve some mysteries too

Then it's flat top, dirty bob, coppin' a feel
Grubbin' on the livin' room floor (so sore)
Yeah, they send you off to college, try to gain a little knowledge,
But all you want to do is learn how to score

Yeah, but now I'm gettin' old, don't wear underwear
I don't go to church and I don't cut my hair
But I can go to movies and see it all there
Just the way that it used to be

Chorus:
That's why I wish I had a pencil thin mustache
The "Boston Blackie" kind
A two-toned Ricky Ricardo jacket
And an autographed picture of Andy Devine

Oh, I could be anyone I wanted to be
Maybe suave Errol Flynn or the Sheik of Araby
If I only had a pencil thin mustache
Then I could do some cruisin' too

Coda:
Yeah, Bryl-cream, a little dab'll do yah
Oh, I could do some cruisin' too

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

I'd like to ride the Rodeo
But I've got Brahma Fear
So I'll just stick to Aeroplanes
Gently pop my ears

Drank a lot a' whiskey
It gives me such a glow
It makes me quite immobile
But it lets my feelin's show

And I'm somewhere below the spotlight
Somewhere below the ground
You dig deep enough you might find me
Find me and you've found my sound

Yes I own a whaler boat
It slides across the sea
And some folks say I'm part of it
And I know, it's part of me

And when I'm feelin' solitaire
It lets me be alone
And when I want to habitate
It carries me back home

And I'm somewhere below the sunlight
Somewhere upon the sea
You dig deep enough you might find me
Find me 'cause that's where I'll be

Yes I drank a lot of whiskey
It gives me such a glow
It makes me quite immobile
Ah, but it lets my feelin's show

Coda:
Yes it makes me quite immobile
Ah, but it lets my feelin's show

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

Well he outgrew his sequined suit
Sold his Trailways bus
Let his hair get a little too long
His ducktails bit the dust

His custom made, pearl-inlaid
Guitar slipped from his hand
And in its place a new electrical one
He had flown in from Japan

Chorus:
'Cause he's a cheeseburger-eatin', abandoned Sunday-meetin'
Brand new country star
He rides around in a Lincoln Continental
No steerhorns on his car
Oh the record men say, "He's the livin' end
They're gonna spin him right to the top
Yeah he's a hot roman candle from the Texas panhandle
He can either go Country or Pop"

He's got a good ol' friend name o' "Texas Ben"
Tells him all the spots to play
And a sweet little lady, he calls her "Sexy Sadie"
She's a' with the boy night and day

They're gonna open a chain of fancy bowlin' lanes
The first one in his old home town
And on ribbon-cuttin' day they'll come from miles away
The folks'll all gather 'round

Chorus:
And sing, he's a cheeseburger-eatin', abandoned Sunday meetin'
Brand new country star
Yeah he rides around in his Lincoln Continental
No steerhorns on his car
Oh the record men say, "He's the livin' end"
They're gonna spin him right to the top
Yeah he's a hot roman candle from the Texas panhandle
He can either go Country or Pop"
I mean, he can either go Country or Pop

Yodels: "A' yodel layeeo a' leedle layeeo a' leedle layee"

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

Headin' up to San Francisco
For the Labor Day week-end show
I've got my hush-puppies on
I guess I never was meant for glitter rock and roll
And honey I didn't know
That I'd be missin' you so

Chorus:
Come Monday, it'll be all right
Come Monday, I'll be holdin' you tight
I spent four lonely days in a brown L. A. haze
And I just want you back by my side

Yes, it's been quite a summer
Rent-a-cars and west-bound trains
And now you're off on vacation
Somethin' you tried to explain
And darlin', it's I love you so
That's the reason I just let you go

Chorus:
Come Monday, it'll be all right
Come Monday, I'll be holdin' you tight
I spent four lonely days in a brown L. A. haze
And I just want you back by my side

I can't help it honey
You're that much a part of me now
Remember that night in Montana
When we said there'd be no room for doubt

I hope you're enjoyin' the scen'ry
I know that it's pretty up there
We can go hikin' on Tuesday
With you I'd walk anywhere
California has worn me quite thin
I just can't wait to see you again

Chorus:
Come Monday, it'll be all right
Come Monday, I'll be holdin' you tight
I spent four lonely days in a brown L. A. haze
And I just want you back by my side

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

Nothing here is different
Nothing's changed at all
And Livingston's gone to Texas
They say he had a ball

They say he learned to be a cowboy
They say he learned to rope and ride
But I wonder if he ever
Thinks about the tears his woman cried

Now Holly won't you let me
Try and make you smile
Now you loved him as if he were your husband
Now he'll be gone awhile

Wrote he had to see the the country
On starry nights he wished that you were there
And so it shows wherever he goes
Deep inside you know he really cares

It's crazy and it's different
But it's really being free
And reasons the world would want to question
Make sense to you and me

Nothing here is different
Nothing's changed at all
Livingston's still in Texas
The snow's about to fall

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

The ice cream man he's a hillbilly fan
Got seventy-eights by Hank Snow
Walks down the street, shufflin' his feet
To a rhythm that only he knows

And I've seen him in so many places
I saw him the night I was born
In a Bourbon Street bar, I received my first scar
From an old man so tattered and torn

Chorus:
And the wino and I know the pain of street singin'
Like a door-to-door salesman knows the pains of bell ringin'
Strange situation, wild occupation
Livin' my life like a song

Coffee is strong at the Cafe Du Monde
Donuts are too hot to touch
Just like a fool, when those sweet goodies cool
I eat 'til I eat way too much

'Cause I'm livin' on things that excite me
Be they pastry or lobster or love
I'm just tryin' to get by bein' quiet and shy
In a world full of pushin' and shove

Chorus:
And the wino and I know the pain of back bustin'
Like the farmer knows the pain of his pickup truck rustin'
Strange situation, wild occupation
Livin' my life like a song

Sweet senorita won't you please come with me
Back to the island honey, back to the sea
Back to the only place that I want to be

Chorus:
And the wino and I know the joy of the ocean
Like a boy knows the joy of his milkshake in motion
Strange situation, wild occupation
Livin' my life like a song
Yes it's a strange situation, a wild occupation
Livin' my life like a song

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

Ringlin', Ringlin' slippin' away
Only forty people livin' there today
Streets are dusty and the bank has been torn down
It's a dyin' little town

Church windows broken, that place ain't been used in years
Jail don't have a sheriff or a cell
And electric trains they run by maybe once or twice a month
Easin' it on down the Muscle Shell

Chorus:
Ringlin', Ringlin' slippin' away
Only forty people livin' there today
'Cause the streets are dusty and the bank has been torn down
It's a dyin' little town

And across from the bar there's a pile of beer cans
Been there twenty-seven years
Imagine all the heartaches and tears
In twenty-seven years of beer

So we hopped back in the rent-a-car
And we hit the cruise control
Pretty soon the town was out of site
Though we left behind a fat barmaid, a cowboy, and a dog
Bracin' for a Ringlin' Friday night

Chorus:
Ringlin', Ringlin' you're just slippin' away
I wonder how many people will be there a year from today
'Cause the streets are dusty and the bank has been torn down
It's a dyin' little town
Yeah, it's a dyin' little town

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

Standin' on side of the Highway 4 exit
A lady in tie-dye, a bag by her side
Not really lookin' like anything special
Saw Tennessee tags and she waved for a ride

Sat right beside me as the meter hit sixty
'Splainin' her travels and her family background
When she got through I could not help but thinkin'
She's a long way from a West Nashville grand ballroom gown

Chorus:
Father had money and her mother had love
Channelled entirely to her dear sister Dove
Twenty-two years in society's plan
Was cancelled in the swing of her dear mother's hand

Six hours later we hit Cincinnati
Yawnin', she woke and then asked where we were
When she found out, she said I must be goin'
This close to Nashville was too close for her

So I stopped by the roadside and I gave her five dollars
She took it then kissed me and gave me a note
She told me just to read it then mail it in Nashville
On old loose-leaf paper to her mother she wrote

Chorus:
She said, "Mama I'm fine if you happen to wonder
I don't have much money but I still get around
I haven't made church in near thirty-six Sundays
So fuck all those West Nashville grand ballroom gowns"

Yes she's a long way from a West Nashville grand ballroom gown

. . .


By: Willis A. Ramsey

"Spider John" is my name friend
I'm in between freights and I sure would be obliged
If you'd share your company

I know this may sound strange to you
But if you wait till the song is sung and the story is told
You might come to understand
Oh, I'm old and bent and Devil sent, runnin' out of time
When I long ago held a Royal Flush in my hand

Chorus:
Oh, I was a Supermarket fool
I was a motor bank stool-pidgeon, robbin' my hometown
I thought I lost my blues, yes I thought I paid my dues
I thought I'd found a life to suit my style
But here I sit old Spider John the robber-man
Long, tall, and handsome
Yes, old Spider John with a loaded hand, takin' ransom

Then one day I met Diamond Lill
She was the sweetest thing, I declare
That the summer breeze had ever blown my way
But Lilly she had no idea, of my illustrious occupation
She thought I was a saint, not a sinner, gone astray
But you see that the word got around and Lilly left town
Never saw her again
Tossin' and turnin', 'causin' my heart to grieve

Chorus:
Oh, I was a Supermarket fool
I was a motor bank stool-pidgeon, robbin' my hometown
I thought I lost my blues, yes I thought I paid my dues
I thought I'd found a life to suit my style
But here I sit old Spider John the robber-man
Long, tall, and handsome
Yes, old Spider John with a loaded hand, takin' ransom

That is all my story
It's been these thirty years since I took to the road
To find my precious jewel one
And if you see my Lilly, won't you give her my regards
Tell her ole Spider got tangled in the black web that he spun
You can tell her ole Spider got tangled the black web that he spun

. . .


By: Jimmy Buffett

I cut my teeth on Gumbo rock, Benny Stillman and Dr. John
Sweet Erma Thomas and Frogman Henry
Used to boogie woogie all night long
Though I love rock n' roll the acoustic guitar
Was the only way I had of becomin' a star
I'm doin' really nice and travellin' around
But they won't play my record in my old home town

Chorus:
But if I had saxophones
Yeah, big baritone cleanin' up the muddy breaks
If I had saxophones
I could get some recognition from that Mobile, Alabama D.J.

Livin' by the ocean, sometimes I get the notion
To take my Janey downtown
We hang out in a funky little bar
They call it the "Shipwreck Lounge"
Well we get kind of drunk and we play rock n' roll
Grabbin' everybody right down in his soul
When we get to cookin' somethin's still wrong
There's still somethin' missin' from them good ole songs

Chorus:
But if we had saxophones
Big baritone cleanin' up the muddy breaks
If we had saxophones
I could make that joint shimmy like a big California earthquake

Yeah if we had saxophones
Yeah, big baritone cleanin' up the muddy breaks
If we had saxophones
I could get some recognition from that Mobile, Alabama D.J.

. . .


By: Lord Buckley

"Well, like I explained to y'all before I ain't no drinkin' man. I tried it
once, and it got me highly irregular and I swore I'd never do it again. But I
promised my brother-in-law that I'd go up and watch his still while he went into
town to vote.

It was up there on the mountain where the map said it would be. Friends let me
tell you one thing though, it wadn't no ordinary still. It stood up that
mountainside like... like a huge golden opal.

God's yellar moon was a' shinin' on the cool clear evenin', God's little
lanterns just a' twinklin' on and off in the heavens and, like I explained to
you once before, I ain't no drinkin' man, But, temptation got the best of me,
and I took a slash... (wshew!... woah...) That yellar whiskey runnin' down my
throat like honeydew vine water, and I took another slash. Took another and
another and another. 'fore you knew it I'd downed one whole jug o' that shit and
commenced to get hot flashes.

Goosepimples was runnin' up and down my body and a feelin' came over me like,
somethin' I'd never experienced before, It's like, like I was in love,

("why don't we have a little love Mike [Utley]")

In love for the first time, with anything that moved... animate, in-animate it
didn't matter. It's like there's a great neon sign flashin' on and off in my
brain sayin, "Jimmy Buffett there' a great day a comin'..." 'Cause I was drunk.

Now I wadn't, uh, knee-crawlin', slip-slidin', reggy-youngin', commode-huggin'
drunk, I was God's own drunk, and a fearless man; And that's when I first saw
the bear.

He was a Kodiak lookin' fella 'bout 19 feet tall he rambled up over the hill
'spectin' me to do one of two things: flip or fly, I didn't do either one. It
hung him up. He starts sniffin' 'round my body tryin' to smell fear, but he
ain't gonna smell no fear, 'cause I'm God's own drunk and a fearless man. It
hung him up. He looked me right in my eyes and my eyes was a lot redder than his
was. It hung him up.

So I approached him and I said, "Mr. Bear, I love every hair on your 27 acre
body. I know you got a lotta friends over there on the other side of the hill.
There's ole' Rear Bear, Tall Bear, Freddy Bear, Kelly Jair, Relly Bear, Smelly
the Bear, Smokey the Bear, Pokey the Bear; I want you to go back over there
tonight and tell 'em I'm feelin' right. You tell 'em I love each and every one
of 'em like a brother and a sister; but if they give me any trouble tonight, I'm
gonna run every Goddamned one of 'em off the hill."

He took two steps backwards and didn't know what to think. Neither did I, but,
being charitable and cautious, well hell, I approached him again. I said, "Mr.
Bear, you know in the eyes of the Lord, we're both beasts when it comes right
down to it. So I want you to be my buddy, 'Buddy Bear.'" So I took ole' Buddy
Bear by his island sized paw and I led him over to the still. Now he's a'
sniffin' around that thing 'cause he's smellin' somethin' good. I gave him one
of them jugs of honeydew vine water, he downed it upright, (looked like one of
them damn bears in the circus sippin' sasparilly in the moonlight.) I gave him
another and another and another 'fore I knew it, he'd downed eight of 'em and
commenced to do the "bear dance." Two sniffs, a snort, a fly, a turn and a
grunt; and it was so simple like the jitterbug it plumb evaded me.

And we worked ourselves into a tumultuous uproar and I's awful tired, went over
to the hillside, and I laid down, went to sleep, slept for four hours, and
dreamt me some tremulous dreams And when I woke up, Oh, there was God's yellar
moon a' shinin' on the clear cool evenin'. And God's little lanterns just a'
twinklin' on and off in the heavens, And my buddy the bear was a' missin'...
yeah, you want to know somethin' else friends and neighbors, so was that still.

-- Spoken:
"That's a take. Wait, could uh.....you missed it?"

. . .


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