The Gospel According to Jimmy Buffett Part 1
A Son of a Son of a Sailor
Jimmy Buffett died.
It’s hard to type those words. Jimmy was one of those people that you didn’t really think about dying. After all, he was timeless. He was a failed country singer who went on the build an extended universe around a beach lifestyle. Sometimes it could be hard to separate Buffett the brand from Buffett the artist and songwriter.
Yes, he was singer but really he was a storyteller. He told stories through song that captured the imagination and spoke into your life.
My first Jimmy Buffett show was in high school. My friends introduced me to him and his music. I attended fourteen shows in all, mostly on the lawn, but once in the 6th row. Frankly, that’s a pretty low number of shows compared to others I know.
The word gospel, at its root, means “good story,” “good news,” or good telling.” Jimmy certainly told good stories that were often good news. This is a two part post, with ten songs and their good news. Here are the first five songs that have spoken to me and I hope speak to you.
One Particular Harbor (1983)
"And there's that one particular harbour
Sheltered from the wind
Where the children play on the shore each day
And all are safe within"
Jimmy, thanks for always creating that one particular harbor that allowed so many memories to be made with some of my favorite people. We each need that safe space.
No matter what was going on, Jimmy created space for us to always remember what is good about the world and one another.
Coast of Carolina (2004)
From the bottom of my heart
Off the coast of Carolina
After one or two false starts
I believe we found our stride
And the walls that won't come down
We can decorate or climb or find some way to get around
Cause I'm still on your side
From the bottom of my heart
A song written for Jimmy’s spouse Jane and a reminder that love is always worth it. True love is not always pretty or easy, but always worth it when two people are committed to one another.
A Pirate Looks at Forty (1974)
Mother, mother ocean, after all the years I've found
My occupational hazard being my occupation's just not around
I feel like I've drowned, gonna head uptown
I feel like I've drowned, gonna head uptown
A song of lament that captures the feelings of one looking back and wondering what it was all for. Echoes of Qoheleth, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, who wrote at the end of his life and wondered what it was all about, claiming that everything he pursued was meaningless.
Trip Around the Sun (2004)
No you never see it comin'
Always wind up wonderin' where it went
Only time will tell if it was time well spent
Performed with Martina McBride, a reflective song that ponders what contentment really looks like. In a day and age, when we are constantly pressured to do and be more, the song encourages us to embrace what has been and look forward to what is to come.
The Captain and the Kid (1970)
I never used to miss the chance
To climb up on his knee
Listen to the many tales
Of life upon the sea
A song that speaks to anyone who has lost an important person in their life. Jimmy wrote this song for his grandfather, who took him sailing and instilled a love for the sea. A lovely reminder that those we have lost are still with us in ways both big and small.