Living & Dying In 3/4 Time

Living & Dying In 3/4 Time Tracks

  1. Pencil Thin Mustache
    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.

  2. Come Monday
    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

  3. Ringling, Ringling
    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

  4. Brahma Fear
    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

  5. Brand New Country Star
    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.

  6. The Wino and I Know
    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.

  7. West Nashville Grand Ballroom Gown

    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

  8. Saxophones
    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

  9. Ballad of Spider John
    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

  10. God's Own Drunk
    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

  11. Livingston's Gone to Texas
    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