Jimmy Buffett (born December 25, 1946 in Gulf Shores, Alabama, United States) is a singer/songwriter, best known for his "island escapism" lifestyle and music including hits such as "Margaritaville" and "Come Monday". He has a rabid, but genial, cult following known as "Parrotheads." They call the youngest members "Parakeets."
Buffett has written three No. 1 best sellers. Tales from Margaritaville and Where Is Joe Merchant? both spent over seven months on the New York Times Best Seller fiction list.
Four years of hard work!This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!
#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------# #This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the # #song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. # #------------------------------------------------------------------------------## From: [email protected] (Mike Hall)
This is something a few of us are in the process of completing for the Jimmy Buffett newsgroup. Once completed, we'll put his entire compilation of chord arrangements onto an anonymous FTP site and WWW page. Whoever's interested or likes what they see, please email me for more information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Great Chords Compilation (GCC) of the "alt.fan.jimmy-buffett" Usenet newsgroup. Comments and questions to Mike A. Hall .
(-- please read disclaimer at end of document --) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@ALBUM: A1A @SONG: Makin' Music For Money @CHORDS: Sean Costello ([email protected]) Makin' Music For Money By: Alex Harvey 1974
Intro: E (See below for tab) E When I woke up this mornin' AE I was tired as I could be B I think I was countin' my money AE When I should a' been countin' sheep
My agent he just called me And told me what I should be If I would make my music for money Instead of makin' music for me
Chorus: AE I said, "I know that this may sound funny AE But money don't mean nothin' to me AE I won't make my music for money BE No, I'm gonna make my music for me"
He said, "The people only buy the love songs Rock n' Roll and not too long" He said, "Son you got to be commercial If you want to turn the people on"
And I said, "Turnin' on the people Now that's a beautiful place to be But if I spend my time makin' them up a rhyme Well, who's gonna turn on me?"
Well now I went up to Country And I'll tell you all about the scene I found a place with much charm and much grace That wasn't touched by the music machine
Whoa, the people were havin' a good time Makin' music all day long And nobody cared if they ever got paid One penny for playin' a song
@SONG: Door Number Three @CHORDS: Sean Costello Door Number Three By: Jimmy Buffett, Steve Goodman 1974
Intro: CGDG
G Oh I took a wrong turn, it was the right turn CG My turn to have me a ball G Boys at the shop told me just where to stop A7D If I wanted to play for it all CGC I didn't know I'd find her on daytime TV CGDG My whole world lies waiting behind door number three
G I chose my apparel, I wore a beer barrel CG And they rolled me to the very first row G I held a big sign that said, "Kiss me I'm a baker DG And Monty I sure need the dough" CGC Then I grabbed that sucker by the throat until he called on me CGDG 'Cause my whole world lies waiting behind door number three
CG And I don't want what Jay's got on his table CG Or the box Carol Merrill points to on the floor CG No I'll hold out just as long as I am able DG Or until I can unlock that lucky door CG Well, she's no big deal to most folks DG But she's everything to me CGDG 'Cause my whole world lies waiting behind door number three
Oh Monty, Monty, Monty, I am walkin' down your hall Got beat, lost my seat, but I'm not a man to crawl Though I didn't get rich, you son of a bitch I'll be back just wait and see
'Cause my whole world lies waiting behind door number three Yes my whole world lies waiting behind door number three
@SONG: Dallas @CHORDS: Sean Costello ([email protected]) Dallas By: Roger Bartlett 1974
*This song was recorded with a capo 5 guitar, but *I've arranged it here for a standard guitar.
Intro: AAsus2 AF#m If you ever get the chance to go to Dallas DA Take it from me pass it by F#m 'Cause you'll only sing the blues down in Dallas DA Take it from me don't go and cry
Chorus: E And I'm leavin' this town as soon as I can GA Gonna stop off for awhile and see my woman
People do you wrong down in Dallas I know well they've done it to me Stealin' all your bread, they're so callous I know well just look and see
(Repeat chorus)
Bridge: DG Well, people like me just can't be free DGDA The Provo man won't let us be-ee DG If the people who knew could get away DGDE I'm real sure they'd heed the day
(instrumental)
Yeah, now come on down and lose your mental balance Look at me half crazy now Oh, talkin' to chairs is strange and I know it Look at me I'm doin' it know
@SONG: Presents to Send You @CHORDS: Sean Costello ([email protected]) Presents To Send You By: Jimmy Buffett 1974
Intro: G G Well now I'm in love with a fast-movin' angel CDG Dresses like the city girls do CDGEm When we're apart there's no ache in my heart CDG When we're together we're a hell of a crew
Chorus: CDG And I got presents to send you CDEm Even got money to lend you CDG But honey I can never ever pretend D You're not there on my mind
There sits a fifth of Tequila God I swore I'd never drink it again But my last little bout I had my hair pulled out By a man who really wasn't my friend And I know I'll never see him again
(Repeat chorus)
FCG Yeah, I thought I might sail down to Bridgetown FCG Spend some time in the Barbados sun FC But my plans took a skid when I smoked a whole lid A7D Wound up where I'd begun
@SONG: Stories We Could Tell @CHORDS: Sean Costello ([email protected]) Stories We Could Tell By: John B. Sebastian 1974
Intro: DDsus2 D Talkin' to myself again A Wonderin' if this travellin' is good
Is there somethin' else a' doin' D We'd be doin' if we could
Chorus: GAD But ah, the stories we could tell GAD And if it all blows up and goes to Hell GADG I wish that we could sit upon a bed in some motel DAD Listen to the stories we could tell
D Stared at that guitar in that museum in Tennessee A Nameplate on the glass brought back twenty melodies DG Scars upon the face told of all the times he fell DAD Singin' all the stories he could tell
Chorus: Ah, the stories he could tell And I'll bet you it still rings like a bell I wish that we could sit upon a bed in some motel And listen to the stories it could tell
So if you're on the road trackin' down your every night Playin' for a livin' beneath brightly colored lights And if you ever wonder why you ride the carousel You do it for the stories you can tell
Chorus: Ah, the stories we could tell And if it all blows up and goes to Hell I wish that we could sit apon a bed in some motel And listen to the stories it could tell ------------------------------------------------------------------
@SONG: Life is Just a Tire Swing Life is Just a Tireswing By: Jimmy Buffett 1974
GAD I remember the smell of the creosote plant EF#mGdimE7ABmCdimA when we'd have to eat on Easter with my crazy old uncle and aunt GAD They lived in a big house Antebellum style GDGD and the wind would blow across the old bayou AD and I was a tranquil little child
Chorus: DBm Life was just a tire swing GD 'Jambalaya' was the only song I could sing GD Black-berry pickin', eatin' fried chicken GDA and I never knew a thing about pain Bm Life was just a tire swing
In a few summers my folks packed me off to camp yeah, me and my cousin' Baxter in our pup tent with a lamp And in a few days Baxter went home, and he left me by myself And I knew that I'd stay, it was better that way and I could get along without any help
(2nd chorus) Life was just a tire swing 'Jambalaya' was the only song I could sing Chasin' after sparrows with rubber-tipped arrows knowin' I could never hurt a thing and life was just a tire swing
BmGF#mEmD And I've never been west of New Orleans nor east of Pensacola GF#mE7A My only contact with the outside world was an R.C.A. Victrola BmA And Elvis would sing and then I'd dream about expensive cars E7 and who would've figured twenty years later AE7F#m7 I'd be rubbin' shoulders with the stars Bm Life was just a tire swing
Then the other morning on some Illinois road I fell asleep at the wheel But was quickly wakened up by a 'Ma Bell' telephone pole and a bunch of Grant Wood faces screaming 'Is he still alive?' But through the window I could see it hangin' from a tree and I knew that I had survived
Last Chorus: Life was just a tire swing 'Jambalaya's still the best song that I sing Black-berry pickin', eatin' fried chicken And I finally learned a lot about pain 'Cause life is just a tire swing Life was just a tire swing
@SONG: A Pirate Looks at Forty A Pirate Looks at 40 By: Jimmy Buffett 1974
G Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call CDAm7G Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall AmDAm7G You've seen it all, you've seen it all
2) 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
3) Yes, I am a pirate, two hundred years too late The cannons don't thunder, there's nothin' to plunder I'm an over forty victim of fate Arriving too late, arriving too late
4) I've done a bit of smugglin', I've run my share of grass I made enough money to buy Miami, but I pissed it away so fast Never meant to last, never meant to last
5) I have been drunk now for over two weeks, I passed out and I rallied and I sprung a few leaks, But I've got stop wishin', got to go fishin' I'm down to rock bottom again Just a few friends, just a few friends
6) I go for younger women, lived with several awhile And though I ran away, they'll come back one day And I still can manage a smile It just takes a while, just takes a while
7) Mother, mother ocean, after all these years I've found My occupational hazard being my occupation's just not around I feel like I've drowned, gonna head uptown
C Lookin' back at my background G7 Tryin' to figure out how I ever got here
Some things are still a mystery to me CC7 While others are much too clear F I'm just livin' in the sunshine CAm Stay contented most of the time D7 Yeah, listenin' to Murphy, Walker, and Willis GG7 Sing me their Texas rhymes
Now most of the people who retire in Florida Are wrinkled and they lean on a crutch And mobile homes are smotherin' my keys I hate those bastards so much I wish a summer squall would blow them All the way up to fantasy land
AmD7 Yeah, they're ugly and square, they don't belong here FG7C They looked a lot better as beer cans
Chorus: Am Yeah and that's why it's still a mystery to me G Why some people live like they do Am So many nice things happenin' out there D7G They never even seen the clues F Oh, but we're doin' fine, we can travel and rhyme CAm I know we been doin' our part FC Got a Caribbean soul I can barely control G7AmC And some Texas hidden here in my heart
Well, now I might have joined the Merchant Marine If I hadn't learned how to sing And on top of all that I got married too early 'Cost me much more than a ring But now those crazy days are over Just gotta learn from the wrong things you've done I came off the rebound, started lookin' around Figured out it's time to have a little fun
(repeat chorus)
Well, now if I ever live to be an old man I'm gonna sail down to Martinique I'm gonna buy me a sweat-stained Bogart suit And an African parakeet And then I'll sit him on my shoulder And open up my trusty old mind I gonna teach him how to cuss, teach him how to fuss And pull the cork out of a bottle of wine
(repeat chorus, then) FC Yeah, got a Caribbean soul I can barely control G7FGCC7 And some Texas hidden here in my heart
@SONG: Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season Trying to Reason with Hurricane Season By: Jimmy Buffett 1974
DGD Squalls out on the gulf stream, big storms comin' soon GDE7A7 I passed out in my hammock, God, I slept 'till way past noon GD Stood up and tried to focus CGA I hoped I wouldn't have to look far GD I knew I could use a Bloody Mary A7D so I stumbled next door to the bar
Chorus: DBmF#m And now I must confess, I could use some rest GA7D I can't run at this pace very long BmF#m Yes it's quite insane, I think it hurts my brain GA7D But it cleans me out and then I can go on
There's something about this Sunday, it's a most peculiar gray Strolling down the avenue that's known as A1A I was feeling tired, then I got inspired And I knew that it wouldn't last long So all alone I walked back home, sat on my beach and then I made up this song
(repeat chorus)
Well, the wind is blowin' harder now, fifty knots or there abouts There's white caps on the ocean, and I'm watchin' for waterspouts It's time to close the shutters, it's time to go inside In a week I'll be in gay Paris Well that's a mighty long airplane ride
@SONG: Nautical Wheelers Nautical Wheelers By: Jimmy Buffett 1974
Intro: A D D6 (see bottom for chord diagrams) ADAD
ADA Nautical Wheelers who call themselves sailors DAA7 Play fiddle tunes under the stars DAF#m Petti-coats rustle, working shoes scuffle, B7E Hustle on down to the bars DAA7 Where the juke-box is blastin' and the liquor is flowin' DAEE7 An occasional bottle of wine DA That's 'cause everyone here is just more than contented EE7DA To be living and dying in three quarter time
Chorus: AE7DA And it's dance with me, dance with me Nautical Wheelers, DAEE7 take me to stars that you know F#mDA Come on and dance with me, dance with me Nautical Wheelers, EE7A I want so badly to go
Well, the left foot it'll follow Where the right foot has travelled Down to the sidewalks unglued And into the street of my city so neat Where nobody cares what you do And Sonna's just grinnin' and Phil is ecstatic And Mason has jumped in the sea And I'm hangin' on to a line from my sailboat
E7A Oh, Nautical Wheelers save me (repeat Chorus)
Well the sunrise will bring on The sleep that's escaped us And everyone's off to their beds There'll be huggin' and squeezin' A little pleazin' and teasin' And rubbin' of each other's heads So won't you dream on comrades, seems nothin' escapes you, Nothin', no reason, nor rhyme That's 'cause everyone here is just more than contented To be living and dying in three quarter time (repeat chorus and fade)
@SONG: Tin Cup Chalice Tin Cup Chalice By: Jimmy Buffett 1974
Intro: GCGGCG
GCG I want to go back to the island, CDG where the shrimp boats tie up to the pilin' Em Give me oysters and beer A7D for dinner every day of the year and I'll feel fine D7 I'll feel fine
Chorus: CDG 'Cause I want to be there | D | C |1. lie beside | Em I want to go back down and |2. get high by | the sea there |3. die beside | CGB7Em With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine A7DGCG and I'm a' chewin', on a honey-suckle vine
Yeah, now, the sun goes slidin' 'cross the water Sailboats, they go searchin' for the breeze Salt air it ain't thin, I can stick right to you skin And make you feel fine It makes you feel fine
(repeat chorus)
Yes, and now you heard my strange proposal Get that pack gear up and let's move I want to be there 'fore the day, tries to steal away And leave us behind I've made up my mind
(repeat chorus and fade) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chords diagrams: Em - |o22ooo| D7 - |xxo212| A7 - |xo2o2o| B7 - |x212o2------------| ------------------------------------------------------------------------|
These chord arrangments were created for private use. Anyone who distributes them or copies them is in risk of violating copyright laws. We claim no responsibility for what others do with these lyrics and chord arrangements.
Thank you, The GCC authors [end of disclaimer] --------------------------------------------------------------------- -- GCC Author's note: This being IMOHO, THE definitive Buffett album, it was the very first created of the GCC series. So far this has been some serious work, but then just think how long it took Jimmy to write all this material. I got a little bit of understanding helping with the GLC (Great Lyrics Compilation) of Spring '94, but I have really acquired a new respect for Jimmy Buffett's many talents.