Living & Dying In 3/4 Time

Jan 31, 1974

Pencil Thin Mustache

Lyrics

PENCIL-THIN MUSTACHE
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.

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.

Oh, 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.
Oh it's Bandstand, Disneyland, growin up fast,
Drinkin' on a fake I.D.
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.

But then it's flat-top, dirty bop, copin' a feel'
grubbin on the living room floor;
They send you off to college to 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 use to be.

That's why 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.

Oh, I could be anyone I wanted to be,
Maybe suave Eerol Flynn or the Sheik of Araby.
If I only had a pencil-thin mustache,
then I could do some crusing too.

Yeah, Brylcreem, a little dab'll do yah,
Oh, I could do some cruising too.
Come Monday

Lyrics

COME MONDAY
Jimmy Buffett
Headin' up to San Francisco
for the Labor Day weekend 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' so.

(Chorus)
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.

Yes it's been quite a summer,
rent-a-cars and west bound trains.
And now your off on vacation,
somethin' you tried to explain.
And darlin' I love you so that's
the reason I just let you go.

Chorus

I can't help it honey,
your that much a part of me now.
Remember the night in Montana when
we said there'd be no room for doubt.

I hope your 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.

End Chorus
Ringling, Ringling

Lyrics

RINGLING, RINGLING
Ringling, Ringling
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 to Musselshell

Ringling, Ringling

Slippin' away
Only forty people livin' there today
`Cause the streets are dusty and the bank had 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 heart aches and tears
In twenty-seven years of beer

So we hopped back in the rental car
and we hit the cruise control
Pretty soon the town was out of sight
Tho we left behind a fat barmaid, a cowboy and a dog
Racin' for a Ringling Friday night

Ringling, Ringling
Your 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
It's a dyin' little town
Brahma Fear

Lyrics

BRAHMA FEAR
I'd like to ride the rodeo
But I've got Brahma fear
So I'll just stick to airplanes
Gently pop my ears

Drink alot of whiskey
It gives me such a glow
It makes me quite immobile
Ah but it let's my feeling 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
Some folks say I'm part of it
And I know it's part of me

And when I'm feelin' solitaire
It let's me be alone
And when I want to have a taste
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 drink alot of whiskey
It gives me such a glow
It makes me quite immobile
But it let's my feelin's show
Yes, it makes me quite immobile
Ah, but it let's my feelin's show
Brand New Country Star

Lyrics

BRAND NEW COUNTRY STAR
Well, he out grew his sequin suit
Sold his Trailways bus
Let his hair get a little too long
Duck tails bit the dust
His custom made, pearl inlaid guitar
slipped from his hands
And in it's 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 steer horns on his car
Oh the record man say he's the livin' end
They're gonna spin him right to the top
Yea, he's a hot roman candle from the Texas panhandle

He can either go country or pop
Got a good ole' friend name of Texas Ben
Tells him all the spots to play
And a sweet little lady, he calls her sexy Sadie
She's with the boy night and day
They're gonna open up a chain of fancy bowling lanes
The first one in his old home town
And on ribbon cutting day they'll come from miles away
The folks will all gather round.
The Wino and I Know

Lyrics

THE WINO AND I KNOW
Jimmy Buffett
The ice cream man he's a hillbilly fan,
He's got seventy-eights by Hank Snow;
Walks down the street, shufflin' his feet,
To the 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.

And the Wino and I know the pains of street singin'
Like the door-to-door salesman knows
the pains of bell ringin'
It's a strange situation,
a wild occupation,
Living my life like a song.

Well the coffee is strong
at the Cafe Du Monde,
And the donuts are too hot to touch;
But just like a fool, when those
sweet goodies cool, I ate 'til I ate way too much.
Cause I'm livin' on things that excite me,
Be they pastries or lobsters or love;
I'm just tryin' to get by being quiet and shy,
In a world full of pushin' and shove.

And the Wino and I know the pains of backbustin',
Like the farmer knows the pain of his pick-up
truck rustin'.
It's a strange situation, a wild occupation,
Living 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.

And the Wino and I know the joys of the ocean,
Like a boy knows the joys of his milkshake
in motion.
It's a strange situation, a wild occupation,
Living my life like a song.
West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown

Lyrics

WEST NASHVILLE GRAND BALLROOM GOWN

Standin' on side of the highway 4 exit
A lady in tie die, 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
Explainin' her travels and her family background
When she got thru I could not help but thinkin'
She's a long way from a West Nashville grand ballroom gown
Her father had money and her mother had love
Channeled entirely to her dear sister Dove
Twenty-two years in societies plan
Canceled at the swing of her dear mothers hand

Six hours later we hit Cincinnati
Yawning she woke and asked where we were
When she found out she said "I must be going"
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
She said Momma 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

Yea, she's a long way from the West Nashville grand
ballroom gowns
Saxophones

Lyrics

SAXOPHONES
I cut my teeth on gumbo rock
Benny Spellman and Doctor John
Sweet Irma Thomas and Frog man Henry
Use to boogie woogie all night long
Tho I love rock and roll the acoustic guitar
was the only way I had of becoming a star
I knew it recognized and traveling around
But they won't play my record in my ol' hometown

If I had saxophones
Big baritone, cleanin' up the muddy breaks
If I had Saxophones
I could get some recognition from
that Mobile Alabama DJ

Livin' by the ocean sometimes I get the notion
To take my Jane to Alabam
We hang out in a funky little bar
They call it the Shipwreck lounge
Well, we get kinda drunk and we play rock and roll
Grabbin' everybody right down in their soul
When we get to cookin' something's still wrong
There's still something missing from them good old songs

If we had saxophones
Big baritone, cleaning up the muddy breaks
If we had saxophones
I could make that joint shimmy like a big
California earthquake

If we had saxophone
Big baritone, cleaning up the muddy breaks
If we had saxophone
I could get some recognition from
that Mobile Alabama DJ
Ballad of Spider John

Lyrics

BALLAD OF SPIDER JOHN
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 'til the song is sung and the story's told
You might come to understand
Why I'm old and bent and devil's been runnin' out of time
When I long ago held a royal flush in my hand.

Oh, I was a super market fool, I was a roll-the-bank, a
stool pigeon,
Robbing my hometown
I thought I'd lost the blues, yes, I thought I'd paid my dues
I thought I'd found the life to suit my style

But here I sit ol' Spider John
The robber man
Long, tall and handsome
Yes, ol' Spider John with the loaded hand
Taking ransom

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

Oh, I was a super market fool, I was roll-the-bank, stool pigeon
Robbing my hometown.
I thought I'd lost my blues, thought I'd paid my dues
I thought I'd found the life to suit my style.
But here I sit ol' Spider John,
The robber man
Long, tall and handsome
Yes, ol' Spider John with the loaded hand
Taking ransom

That is all my story
Been these thirty years since I took to the road
Find my precious jewel one
If you see my Lily, won't you give her my regards
Tell her ol' Spider got tangled
In the black web that he spun

You can tell her that ol' Spider got tangled
In the black web that he spun
God's Own Drunk

Lyrics

GOD'S OWN DRUNK
By: Lord Buckley
Well, like to explain to you 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
I promised my brother in-law that I'd go up watch his still
While he went in to town to vote
It was right up on the mountain
where the map said it would be
Friends let me tell you one thing,
tho it wasn't no ordinary still
It stood up on that mountainside
like a hugh golden opal
God's yeller moon shinin' on the cool clear evenin'
God's little lanterns twinklin' on and off in the heavens
Like I explain'd to you once before I ain't no drinkin' man
But temptation got the best of me
And I took a slash
That yella whiskey runnin' down my throat
like honey dew vine water
And I took another slash,
Took another'n an another'n an another'n
For you knew I'd downed one whole jug of that shit
and commenced to gettin' hot flashes
Goose pimples was runnin' up and down my body
And a feelin' came over me
like somethin' I'd never experienced before
It was like, like I was in love
In love for the first time, with anything that moved
Animate, inanimate it didn't matter
It's like there's a great neon sign flashin' on an' off
in my brain sayin' "Jimmy Buffett there's a great day a comin'"
`Cause I was drunk
I wasn't knee crawlin', slip slidin', Reggie 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 nineteen feet tall
He rambled up over the hill
expectin' me to do one of two things,
Flip or fly, I didn't do either one
It hung him up
He started sniffin' around 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 right in my eyes, and my eyes
was a lot redder than his was
It hung him up
So I approached him, I said "Mr. Bear, I love
every hair on your twenty-seven acre body
I know you got a lot of friends over there
on the other side of the hill
There's ole' rare bear, tall bear, Freddy bear, Kelly bear
Really bear, smelly the bear, smokey the bear,
pokey the bear
I want you to go back over there tonight
And tell them I'm feelin' right
You tell them I love each and everyone of them
like a brother and a sister
But if they give me any trouble tonight
I'm gonna run every God damn one of them off the hill"
He took two steps backwards and didn't know what to think
Neither did I but bein' 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 size paw
and I led him over to the still
He's a sniffin' around that thing cause
he's smellin' somethin' good
I gave him one of them jugs of honey dew vine water
He downed it up right
Looked like one of them damn bears in the circus
Sippin' sasparilly in the moonlight
I gave him another'n an another'n an another'n
For I knew it he downed eight of them
and commenced to doin' the bear dance
Two snips, a snort, a fly turn, and a grunt
It was so simple like the jitter bug
It plum evaded me
We worked ourselves into a tumultuous uproar
And I was awful tired and went over to the hillside
and I laid down and went to sleep
Slept for four hours and dreampt me some tremulous dreams
When I woke up, there was God's yeller moon
shinin' on the clear cool evenin'
God's little lanterns twinklin' on and off
in the heavens
My buddy the bear was a missin'
Want to know something else friends and neighbors
So was that still
Livingston's Gone to Texas

Lyrics

LIVINGSTON'S GONE TO TEXAS
Jimmy Buffett
Nothing here is different
Nothings changed at all
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
You loved him as if he were your husband
Now he'll be gone awhile
Wrote he had to see 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
Makes sense to you and me
Nothing here is different
Nothing's changed at all
Livingston's still in Texas
The snows about to fall

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