. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
Every day held a new surprise
I watched the hunger burning in my sister's eyes
The paste-board shack we called a home
Would haunt me in my dreams
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times
There's nothing soft about hard times
We never knew anything groovy
A dime meant bread and not a movie
The muscles that controlled my smile were rarely ever used
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times
There's nothing soft about hard times
Chorus:
I had to go 'cause I could see
I wasn't meant for poverty
The family ties were broken soon
I went off to find the moon
So I sit on a bench in Jackson Square
I drink my wine and I breathe the midnight air
Tomorrow I'll just hit the street and bum another dime
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times
There's nothing soft about hard times
Chorus:
I had to go 'cause I could see
I wasn't meant for poverty
The family ties were broken soon
I went off to find the moon
So I sit on a bench in Jackson Square
I drink my wine and I breathe the midnight air
Tomorrow I'll just hit the street and bum another dime
'Cause there's nothing soft about hard times
There's nothing soft about hard times
There's nothing soft about
No, no, no, no hard times
There's nothing soft about hard times
No, no, no, no those hard times
There's nothing soft about hard times
I'm going to tell you about the hard times
There's nothing soft about hard times
No, no, no, no hard times
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
You go to Fargo
We'll meet in Chicago
Travelin' light and travelin' clean
In a nine wheel blue and white travelin' machine
And I'm gone I'm movin' on yes I'm gone
Chorus:
No time to look back
We've crossed the last track
Travelin' free and travelin' wild
With my barefoot blue-eyed travelin' child
And I'm gone I'm movin' on yes I'm gone
Run away queen
Travelin' clean
You tell your mother
That you love another
Runnin' with a free-born man
That asks more of you than your hand
And you're gone you're movin' on yes you're gone
Run away queen
Travelin' clean
You go to Fargo
We'll meet in Chicago
Travelin' light and travelin' clean
In my nine wheel blue and white travelin' machine
And I'm gone
Come away, runaway queen
On her way and travelin' clean
Come away, runaway queen
On her way and travelin' clean
. . .
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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
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
It's never been the same since you returned from dreamin'
With your nursery rhyme excuses your picture postcards gleamin'
Tellin' everyone who looks your way 'bout people and their sinnin'
While your left field verse is fallin' in proportion to your winnin'
And I can't be your hero today
I'm through with the simple games you play
It just may take some time for me to even up the score
But I can't be your soldier home from war
And there you sit shouting that there's still hope for us
While nature holds the handcuffs on a Capricorn and Taurus
There's nothing you can do or say to get me to your camp
Go fill up all your savings books and buy yourself a lamp
And I can't be your hero today
Your wholesale price is much to high to pay
A bargain basement atmosphere is no way to sell love
And I can't be your Superman above
No I can't be your hero today
That is all I really want to say
Go find a leading man who wants to play
And I can't be your hero today
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett, Buzz Cason
I have been out wandering
I have traveled far
One conclusion I have made
Is God don't own a car
He don't wear no fancy clothes
He'd rather take the bus
He would pay a tourist fare
So he could sit with us
He don't have no tambourine
Guitar or slide trombone
The music we make here on Earth
The words they are His own
And when we finally reach His home
And walk among the stars
He'll join our band then we'll understand
Why God don't own a car
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la, la
La, la, la, la, la, la
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
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
His world had gone from sailing ships to raking mom's backyard
He never could adjust to land although he tried so hard
We both were growing older then and wiser with the years
That's when I came to understand the course his heart still steers
He died about a month ago while winter filled the air
And though I cried I was so proud to love a man so rare
He's somewhere on the ocean now that's where he oughta be
With one hand on the starboard rail he's wavin' back at me
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 talk of things he did
The world was just a day away for the Captain and the kid
For the Captain and this kid
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
Sittin' on a pocket full of hard earned wages
Lookin' at the world through magazine pages
I heard a lot about the mountains and the Colorado range
Made this stop for personal reasons
Didn't know I'd catch the changin' of the seasons
Winter dictates everything from frost to naked trees
Chorus:
I'm about a mile high in Denver
Where the rock meets timberline
I've walked this ground from town to town
Just to finally call it mine
Lookin' for the cloud with a styrofoam lining
Hopin' that the sun will keep on shinin'
Leading me to distant peace that waits so patiently
Need a little love to try some givin'
Try a little love and then start livin'
Things I feared so long ago
When everything was wrong
Chorus:
I'm about a mile high in Denver
Where the rock meets timberline
I've walked this ground from town to town
Tonight I'll call it mine
Tonight I'll call it mine
Sittin' on a pocket full of hard earned wages
Lookin' at the world through magazine pages
I heard a lot about the mountains and the Colorado range
Need a little time to try some livin'
Try a little love and then start givin'
Things I feared so long ago
When everything was wrong
I'm about a mile high in Denver
Where the rock meets timberline
Where God and trees create the breeze
Tonight I'll call it mine
Tonight I'll call it mine
Tonight I'll call it mine
Tonight I'll call it mine
Tonight I'll call it mine
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
See the lady
Smiles as if to tell
Her son remembers everyone
Treats 'em all quite well
He never asked for promises
And now his fame is wide
And everyone who knew him well shares a little pride
Chorus:
Ain't he a genius
The boy's become a star
And he smiles upon the faces
Who wish they could go far
Not long ago they criticized
The genius only wrote
And now they listen spellbound
With lumps caught in their throats
His virtue was sheer poverty
His vice was reading plays
While other children starved and fought
He learned just what to say
Through tension and confession
He beat the monster down
Then surfaced in society no longer underground
Chorus:
Ain't he a genius
The boy's become a star
And he smiles upon the faces
Who wish they could go far
Now they remember
Talk only of his good
While jealousy flows in their veins
And says I wish I could
Ain't he a genius
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
Can you tell me where I might find my friend and companion
Now he looks a little different from anything you've seen
He likes to beat the bass drum for justice and salvation
He's got the brains of Einstein and the brawn of Mister Clean
He's a lightnin' flash who'll make the dash from one coast to the other
To stop a crime or lend a dime or help his aging mother
Captain America we love you, Captain America you're grand
Oh Spiro Agnew eat your heart out Captain America's our man
Now he wears a mask his clothes are weird and some folks call him hokie
But he is hip he just can't dig the okie from Muskogie
Captain will help anyone a friend or a stranger
Now number one without a gun he's bypassed the Lone Ranger
He's a do do good who loves apple pie and kisses little babies
He'll guard you against everything from atom bombs to rabies
Captain America we love you, Captain America you're grand
Oh Spiro Agnew eat your heart out Captain America's our man
Can you tell me where I might find my friend and companion
He looks a little different from anything you've seen
He likes to beat the bass drum for justice and salvation
He's got the brains of Einstein and the bod of Mister Clean
He's a lightnin' flash who'll make the dash from one coast to the other
To stop a crime or lend a dime or help his aging mother
Captain America we love you, Captain America you're grand
Oh Spiro Agnew eat your heart out Captain America's our man
Captain America's our man
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett, Buzz Cason
Maybe leaving's better in the afternoon
When the rain don't fall so hard
From where we were we had to look down far below
To see just what went on in our own backyard
Coming down slow without a thing to show
Wondering what went on while we were up there
Mountain roads now asphalt highways that we once called heaven skyways
Children lost what is the cost to get back home again
La La La La La La La La Laaaa
La La La La La La La La Laaaa
It was a high cumberland jubilee
Such a high cumberland jubilee
It was a high cumberland jubilee
Such a high cumberland jubilee
It was a high cumberland jubilee
Such a high cumberland jubilee
It was a high cumberland jubilee
Such a high cumberland jubilee
It was a high cumberland jubilee
Such a high cumberland jubilee
yeah
I'm goin' to climb up in the mountain
I'm goin' to climb up in the tree
I'm goin' to climb up in the mountain
I'm goin' to see what I can see
You know...
It was a high cumberland jubilee
Such a high cumberland jubilee
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett, Buzz Cason
Did you ever just want to lay down
Tell the world you've had enough
Did you ever just want to drop out
When the goin' got a little bit rough
Have you ever walked the sidewalks hungry
Have you ever really had the blues
So now you want to see how the other half live
Well brother whatcha got to lose
Whatcha got to lose if you leave your home
And you never think of ever goin' back
Your father's makin' money for the good of the country
And your mama's out bettin' at the track
Camptown ladies sing them songs doo dah doo dah
And now you gonna to let hair grow long
Get a little pad uptown
Throw away your checkbook and all your credit cards
And use your wits to get around
And you think it's gonna make you happy
See your story in the evening news
And you know its just a game of tryin' to point the blame
Brother whatcha got to lose
Chorus:
Hey lonely Rockefeller Square
The underground world don't fit a millionaire
Hey Rocky whatcha gonna do
First time you've ever had the pressure on you
But Rock when the rockin' and the bummin' is through
There'll still be piece of daddy's kingdom for you
Now Rocky you sure hurt your mama
And your daddy got an ulcer for a year
With the stock market shot and the war's still hot
It sure was a cruel thing to do
So don't cry boy
Chorus:
Hey lonely Rockefeller Square
The underground life don't fit a millionaire
Hey Rocky whatcha gonna do
First time you've ever had the pressure on you
But Rock when the rockin' and the bummin' is through
There'll still be piece of daddy's kingdom for you
Money to pay, money today
Don't you go gay
Rocky better pray
Money today, money to pay
Don't you go gay
Rocky better pray
Money today, money to pay
Don't you go gay
Rocky better pray
Money today, money to pay
Don't you go gay...
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
Straight-laced leather-faced he rolled
In like he owned the two-bit town
Dollar bills bulging from his bell-bottomed jeans
The population they gathered 'round
Nothing this exciting since a fertilizer truck
Blew a front tire and landed in the creek
Everybody talkin' everybody strainin'
Tryin' to get a little peek
Chorus:
It's just the world they'll never know
Not a country fair side show
Reality they'll somehow never see
He's what they've tried to kill
With their Bibles and their stills
But he's not weird just a man that's bein' free
Payin' for the gas he quickly shouted thanks
And continued on his journey all once again
Just about the time a siren fast-approached and
The pot bellied sheriff he whizzed right in
With his self inflicted grammar started shoutin'
Accusations at the long haired greasy looking ape
While a local D.J. from the fifty watt station got
The whole damn thing on tape
Chorus:
It's just the world they'll never know
Not a country fair side show
Reality they'll somehow never see
He's what they've tried to kill
With their Bibles and their stills
But he's not weird just a man that's bein' free
The holy roller preacher told the eager congregation
That the devil had passed right through their nest
But the teenage girls with their locks in curls were
A talkin' 'bout that hair upon his chest
Now the kids got their cookies while the preacher
Saved some souls and the story spread to everyone in sight
Commotion was the word and everybody heard
He was gone before the night
Chorus:
It's just the world they'll never know
Not a country fair side show
Reality they'll somehow never see
He's what they've tried to kill
With their Bibles and their stills
But he's not weird just a man that's bein' free
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
Hardly seems a long time
Just a minute of the day
But the man who stood beside me
More than gave himself away
The food stain on his spotted shirt
A gray beard on his face
A man composed of many names
So I just called him Ace
Chorus:
But Ace can't read and Ace can't write
And he sleeps on a bench at night
A little man the world has left behind
He ain't bitter, he ain't sweet
Makes his living on the street
Never knowing what he's gonna find
Born in Mississippi
Picking cotton as a child
Left soon for the city
Where he heard that life was wild
That was fifty years ago
When nothing's really strange
From a poor dirt farm to dirty streets
Is really not much change
Chorus:
And Ace can't read and Ace can't write
And he sleeps on a bench at night
A little man the world has left behind
He ain't bitter, he ain't sweet
Makes his living on the street
Never knowing what he's gonna find
Go back to the country
No he really can't do that
Wasted years have left him
Nothing but an old straw hat
So he puts it on his head
And waves a last good-bye
No time left to turn around
And no time to ask why
Chorus:
Ace can't read and Ace can't write
And he sleeps on a bench at night
A little man the world has left behind
He ain't bitter, he ain't sweet
Makes his living on the street
Never knowing what he's gonna find
And this old world has left poor Ace behind
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett, Buzz Cason
Evil, it's been here all along
Good things, they just seem to have come and gone
In my life I have seen so much go wrong
And there's only one way left for us to get along
Chorus:
You got to bend a little one way or the other
You got to leave your mind open to discover
Seems I've been fightin' it all along
You got to bend a little no matter which side you're on
Or soon you'll be gone
Papers, they print it every day
Housewife, wraps the garbage then throws it away
I don't guess she thinks they have that much to say
But when the time is right she'll be the lady with so much to pay
Chorus:
You got to bend a little one way or the other
You got to leave your mind open to discover
Seems I've been fightin' it all along
You got to bend a little no matter which side you're on
Or soon you'll be gone
History, it teaches much too well
Nations, had to rise up before they fell
And my eyes see the story they're tryin' to tell
And tonight I think I heard the final toll of the bell
Chorus:
We better bend a little one way or the other
You got to leave your mind open to discover
Seems I've been fightin' it all along
You've got to bend a little no matter which side you're on
Or soon you'll be gone
Seems I've been fightin' it all along
I've been a fightin' and a fightin'
Got to bend a little no matter which side you're on
It's a long and and dirty battle
It seems I've been fightin' it all along
I've been a tearin' and a pullin'
Got a bend a little no matter which side you're on
Yes I know cause
It seems I've been fightin' it all along
I've been a punchin' and a gougin'
And it seems it don't matter which side you're on
I've been a tearin' and a rippin' and
It seems I've been fightin' it all along
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
Chorus:
It's a hell of a time to be thinking about heaven
Didn't you forget the golden rule
You've been acting like Jesus owes you a favor
But he's a little smart for you to fool
You complain how you forgets the gospel
You remind them seek and you shall find
Maybe youth will have a time for seeking
After they clean up what you left behind
Chorus:
'Cause it's a hell of a time to be thinking about heaven
Didn't you forget the golden rule
You've been acting like Jesus owes you a favor
But he's a little smart for you to fool
You were right there when the plate was passed last Sunday
That's the second time you've been to church all year
Could you really call yourself a christian
If charity cost half as much as beer
Hey
You pray a little more as you grow older
You get religion as your hair turns gray
But you don't need to worry about hereafter
Just worry what you're going to do today
Chorus:
'Cause it's a hell of a time to be thinking about heaven
Didn't you forget the golden rule
You've been acting like Jesus owes you a favor
But he's a little smart for you to fool
Yes my friend I think you've blown your cool
Hey
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett, Buzz Cason
It's been a little fever and maybe Bucky Beaver
Who made me pull the lever and leave once again
We chose just not to marry but go ahead and carry
All of our earthly goods and go to live out in the woods
Midnight on the mountain and you watch the clouds roll by
Country air's appealin' but there's more than meets the eye
Meets the eye...
Moonlight on the cabin it's too damn cold to sleep
Your head turns from my pillow so I can't see you weep
See you weep...Sarah sleep
Stoned alone together least the city streets have drains
Standing here ass high up in the rain longin' for Boston
Once again...
Sarah's cold and hungry and the baby's due any day
Stuck up in high country and it don't thaw out 'til May
Here we'll stay...
Mountain fever's on me and tonight the truck broke down
Doctor in the valley but we can't get in to town
He don't come 'round...
Sarah cried for Boston and her mother late last night
I reassured her everything was tight but I'm not sure that
It's all right...
Midnight on the mountain and you watch the clouds roll by
Country air's appealin' but there's more than meets the eye
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
It's the ways of her father
If she's gonna change she hasn't done it yet
And the desert is calling to me
Run before the final trap is set
All roads lead to the city
Where the dudes and the dykes all look the same
Lady lays out the pattern
With the parts of her body that seem tame
Death valley lives and Tracy isn't sure what really gives
Act like a child and I'll respond with my well-rehearsed farewell
Quoting the verse that you bought but weren't quite prepared to sell
Saying I think I love you
Maybe I care
It's not fair
Death valley lives and Tracy isn't sure what really gives
And it's a sore spot when the room's burning hot
And the desert air just cannot bring you down
Still the bed's warm but a cold arm
Keeps me floating inches off the ground
Death valley lives and Tracy isn't sure what really gives
Go paint your toes wipe you nose and then come to say goodbye
And all along tell yourself I am wrong if I try
Crying sorry it's over
I'm not to blame
What a game
Death valley lives now I'm not even sure what really gives
Ho, Ha
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett, Buzz Cason
Why is he cussin' and callin' disgustin'
The city that is now his home
He never smiles or keeps up with styles
He is black and he is all alone
And you ask why he's this way
Well brother you're too blind to see
It's cause Ellis Dee ain't free like you and me
Get out of the street don't get high on my beat
Go on home the policeman warns
Just 'cause you're poor why do you declare war
I can't help the way that you were born
Why are they holdin' him down
He's spending his life on his knees
'Cause Ellis Dee ain't free like you and me
Chorus:
Got to help Ellis
Got to help Ellis
You know we got to help Ellis Ellis Dee
Try and help Ellis you and me
Got to get to Ellis hear his plea
Try and help Ellis get free
Ellis got hooked, he got booked and he shook
In his cold little shivery cell
While out on the street in that same funky beat
Mister pusher was doing well
And Ellis Junior cries tears his daddy can't see
'Cause Ellis Dee ain't free like you and me
Chorus:
Got to help Ellis
Got to help Ellis
You know we got to help Ellis Ellis Dee
Try and help Ellis you and me
Got to get to Ellis hear his plea
Try and help Ellis get free
'Cause Ellis Dee ain't free like you and me
No Ellis Dee ain't free like you and me
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett, Buzz Cason
The tour bus passed here yesterday
Exciting all the fools who pay
To see the naked lady in our yard
The hang out gang is back in town
Rumor has it going 'round they brought back
Four new groupies and a St. Bernard
We're peaceful and abiding cats some call Gypsies
Some call brats but bare feet don't tear streets up like their bus
Chorus:
All we was doing' was a hangin' and little Koochie was sangin'
Mama I'm guilty of a hangin' out
I know it's a shabby old building but after all ain't we God's children
And Lord it's a good place for hangin' out
The fast approachin' local heat was poundin' out the southwest beat
When they came upon Koochie in our yard
She smiled sir I meant no harm just a little suntan on my arm
They wound up takin' in our St. Bernard
It didn't have a tag y'all
Chorus:
All we was doing' was a hangin' and little Koochie was sangin'
Mama I'm guilty of a hangin' out
I know it's a shabby old building but after all ain't we God's children
And Lord it's a good place for hangin' out
Now you hang with me and I'll hang with you and we'll hang out
'Til we both turn blue mama I'm guilty of a hangin' out
Chorus:
All we was doing' was a hangin' and little Koochie kept sangin'
Mama I'm guilty of a hangin' out
I know it's a shabby old building but after all ain't we God's children
And Lord it's a good place for hangin' out
All we was doin' was a hangin' and little Koochie kept sangin'
Mama I'm guilty of a hangin' out
-- Spoken (Dialogue)
"Yeah, they moved up there about a month ago. Fixed up that little cabin on the
ridge. They really them long hairs? Well, Homer seen 'em. Homer seen how long it
was. Still reckon I seen it. They a bunch of weirdos. One of them had a little
instrument looked like a mandolin. Why Lord, they might freeze to death up there
this winter. Well. Homer, turn that radio down."
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
In the shelter
In the mornin' as the sun was brightly beaming
I heard her crying out, "What is it all about?
I just don't know, but I can't go back home."
Lonely princess
All the days out on your own are growing empty
Nothing is going well
If you could only tell them how you feel
They're too real to understand
Chorus:
Too many trite expressions
Ending in forced rejections long ago
Too many innocent faces
Too many far out places something's wrong
Let me tell you that something's wrong
It's been that way so long, and it's a shame
On the street car
To the city where she knows that she might lose it all
Riding for just a dime, takin' her own sweet time
And knowing well this could be her final fall
Past the boutique
Down the alley to the river, people pass her by
Sits on the big gray rocks, takes off her boots and socks
And knowing what she will do next just starts to cry
Chorus:
Too many small suggestions
Endin' in angry questions from her dad
Too many T.V. dinners
And everyone loves a winner, but she was lost
No one knows the trials she had
In the shelter
In the mornin' as the sun was brightly gleaming
I heard her crying out, "What is it all about?
I just don't know, but I can't go back home."
Lord, I just don't know, but I can't go back home.
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
I didn't know we were at war
I've been away so long
Trying to help once lost men
Distinguish right from wrong
I didn't know we'd killed the men
Our leaders proud and strong
The situation's changed my friend
I've been away too long
I taught my friends
How we had gained respect for every man
And freedom flowed like jungle streams
While peace embraced the land
I told them how we'd learned to change
Our sword blades into plows
I told them they should learn from us
What should I tell them now
Chorus:
'Cause I didn't know we were at war
I've been away so long
Trying to help once lost men
Distinguish right from wrong
The jungle silence shut them off
From civilized mankind
Their nakedness was no disgrace
No censors could I find
The population lived in peace
All brothers on their own
And now that I have seen the mess
I don't think I'll go home
Chorus:
'Cause I didn't know we were at war
I've been away so long
I told them they should learn from us
I think I told them wrong
. . .
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by: Jimmy Buffett
Richard Frost left Alabama heading west to find his fame
Only got to Oklahoma and that's where he changed his name
Now he plays a little tavern all the drunks say he's a star
Hollywood forgot his number now he's stuck in Kelly's Bar
But is he happy my friend
or does he pretend?
Is every song a routine chore?
Well he every decide
to go and not hide
behind his fear and Kelly's backstage door
Richard Frost draws 90 people and on weekends lines grow long
Singing loud and laughing with them the crowd reacts to every song
Bigger worlds (?) can't help but make you more aware of what you see
Afraid of what's beyond just eyesight keeps the worlds in harmony
La da da da da da
La da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
La da da da da da
La da da da da da
La da da da da da da da
. . .
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By: Jimmy Buffett
As large as life she stood there
Kissed my cheek and called my old nickname
And though several years had passed
Both of us still looked quite the same
I said hi relaxed a bit
Then asked her how she'd been all these years
She told me she was feeling fine
And came to see a friend who lived up here
She told me she had finished school
And then went on to college for a year
I asked if she had married
Slowly down her cheek there came a tear
She said just an itchy eye
It must be the weather way up here
I told her I can't stand the cold
It freezes me and I can't feel my ears
We talked a bit about Mobile
And thought about how it has never changed
I told her I was a comin' home
To spend some time and hoped it wouldn't rain
She asked if she could see me then
And we could spend some time now and then
Because I lived so far away
Was still no chance why we could not be friends
I drove her to the waiting plane
Watched that big jet streaking through the sky
Thought about the sad young girl
And the time that I just saw her cry
That flame must still be burning bright
I think I'll catch a later flight today
It's time for me to go on home
And spend a day or two down by the bay
. . .
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