Never went to Paris but I can relate to the questions that never really get answered. As is sid some of it was magic, some was tragic but it was a good life thus far all the way.
"Buffett wrote the song about Eddie Balchowsky, a one-armed Spanish Civil War veteran he met while playing in Chicago. The song appears on Songs You Know By Heart, a greatest hits compilation that includes Buffett's concert favorites ranging from 1973 to 1979. However, "He Went to Paris" was the only song off that album that Buffett rarely played live, until he find out that Bob Dylan likes the song and decided to start playing it on a more frequent basis." (Wikipedia).
Very few songs have the ability to truly touch your heart. This song struck a note in me the first time I heard it that no other song had ever done, or has ever since done.
today i watched my grandpa die...and this song was playing in the backround of his room. just as he took his last breath this song gently said "...he went to paris..." jimmy mightve went to paris, but my grandpa went home. <3
love you grandpa, vetran of WWII, you are gone but never forgotten! <3 <3 <3
I've been a Parrothead since before I could talk. I grew up with this music, and I couldn't stop listening to it if I tried! ^^ Parrotheads all the way!
Where Has the time got too JB has been one of my Favorites since the 70's now here i am in my 50's and he is still going strong took his music around the world when i worked on Seismic Ships one of my favs thanks
Jimmy first blew me away at the 4th of July Kicker in the Louisiana Superdome, on our Bicentennial, July 4th, 1976. I was barely 17, and had a blast drinking beer with my beloved older sister. Charlie Daniels, John Sebastian, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Emmylou Harris were all there, but Jimmy stole the show to me!
He is also a Philosopher who has spent time with his own Soul and how it exists in this crazy world. He relates Truths all should think about. Your Life will improve... God Bless all of you!
This is reported to be Bob Dylan's favorite song. It never plays that I don't remember that. The words and melody are so wonderful. Nearly every song he writes has a story behind it, and I never heard the story behind this one. Would love to know what the legend is.
ya beckleck81 afriend of mine was at one of those shows that he joked about playing to small crowds like on" live you had to be there" buy everyone a burger and go home
Jimmy is one hell of a guy and this is a great song. We have a mutual friend James Taylor's brother Hugh (Huey). Huey lives on Marthas Vineyard and when ever JB flies up on his PBY he stays at Hugh's B&B. I've never been there but Hugh says it is the best. He has had guests from Bill Clinton to Hollywood celebreties and it seems like he likes his time with Jimmy the best. I know I would.
@philrizzuto1 - No, its about an old gentleman Jimmy met in the islands (i foget which one) J B was fishing and wound up talking to this English WW 1 vet. The song is HIS life story. This song always invokes a wave of emotion in my 67 year old heart. Beautiful song, bitter sweet. thanks Jimmy
@northfourty Likely the most beautiful song Buffet ever wrote. His monumental ago disappears into the lyrics. Very poignant. I'm 68, we're from the same town, sailed the same sailboats, flew the same airplanes with some of the same people, drank in the same bars. I'm a South Florida guy and know a lot of Buffet stories from those years. Too bad the money went to his head.
@1jetdrvr You also might want to listen to Jimmy's song "The Night I Painted The Sky" from BAROMETER SOUP. Even so, this is probably his "masterpiece".
@northfourty It's about Eddie Balchowsky, a one-armed janitor in the White Knight club, where Jimmy used to open for people like Bob Marley. Eddie was a great pianist and veteran of the Spanish Civil War and Jimmy struck up a friendship with him. He died in 1989.
Video shot in my hometown of Philadelphia. A LONG way from Key West.. I love this one. Cold dreary February day. But, somehow, it WORKS. Gotta love it...
Simply one of the best songwriters ever. Not a bad performer either! A "Jimmy Jump Up' is an experience I HIGHLY recommend! Just leave early b/c the parking lot is one great preshow party NOT to be missed.
@MikeUpie I don't think he is the one of the best songwriters ever, but I do believe that he has about 4 or 5 songs that are pure genius! Some of his stuff is pretty trite and that's ok because he uses them in his concerts and they get great audience reaction. Then again, some of his lyrics are really clever and the songs have a broad apeal to all types of music lovers regardless of age. I just think he has written some stuff that made even him go WOW, this is really great!! He's great live!
@coleyman1 Just curious as to yer tastes: If Buffett's not one of the best writers (as this song shows) of "universal truths" and the human condition, who do you think is? John Prine? Billy Joel? I listen to a LOT of J.J. Cale, but most have never heard of him, more of a cult artist. OK, I like it that way, and apparently so does he. But his laid-back tunes lack the songwriting skills Buffett exhibits. Who do you listen to for the message? Who do you like for the groove, the vibe they give?
@MikeUpie Just because I like someone doesn't mean I think they are among a list of "great writers". Hell, I love Buffet, Prine, Joel, Guthery and a host of people who write great stuff from time to time. I think someone like Jimmy Webb has to be considered in the list of "great writers". The man wrote "Witchita Lineman" and of all things, "MacArthur Park". Now if that isn't both ends of the spectrum, I don't know what is! I have a list of several folks that I think are "great writers".
@coleyman1 His book A Pirate Looks At Fifty went straight to No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller non-fiction list, making him one of eight authors in that list's history to have reached No. 1 on both the fiction and non-fiction lists. The seven other authors who have accomplished this are Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, William Styron, Irving Wallace, Dr. Seuss, Mitch Albom and Glenn Beck.
@coleyman1 Maybe the way we judge "great writers" is different. I judge writers by being able to lyricly and melodicly change course from time to time. Buffet, like most of the people I like to listen to don't fit in that catagory. I listen to traditional country music mostly, but I played professionally for 40 years and got the opportunity to do all kinds of stuff. Buffet has, as I said, 4 or 5 GREAT tunes, genius in fact, but as a whole he tends to stay with songs that follow his life style.
This is his best song by a long arms reach. We saw him sing it at little place in S Miami, before anyone really knew who he was and fame brought too much of a crowd. Outdoors under the coconut trees one summer evening in the 70s.
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@phillytheresa I was raised as a sailor. Sailed to many exotic places with my dad. He passed away Dec. 18 I had to go to Honduras and have him brought back to the states. I will never forget all the great memories we had and I will always live by the water and try to continue the sailing tradition with my son.
I would love to shoot this vision in a much more comprehensive way..... This is such a great story! It teaches you to not assume you know a man, especially the elderly... and old man, with one eye, scribbling away in a notebook... drinking his green label... you have no clue the life that he might possibly have led... has seen, has survived... This is a GREAT story....
Where did that young man go who all those many years ago was bound to slay all the dragons before him? And where did all these windmills come from. It is obering indeed to look back at one's life and compare what was to be and what is.
@rchevalier2012 ? Maybe the style of REM is a bit buffet, but its a very abstract, very coded style. Buffet is more in your face, however in a mellow way. Maybe im just drunk a bit to much, but to me it seems to boil down to passive aggresive vs passive story telling.
@rchevalier2012 Hehe, im not trying to sound trite, just that maybe Buffet = southern folk experimental vs REM southern folk with a dash of new age (late 80's style at least) punk experimental
Jimmy Buffett and Eric Clapton are the only two artists to ever get tears out of me. This is the music I grew up with as a toddler,and in the end we will all come to the realization that no matter how hard life kicks us. I was a good life all the way.
This is the only song in the entire history of this earth thats made me cry every time I hear it. This is just such a beautiful song.. The man never gave up.. even when he seemingly lost everything in his life that was important to him. This song is not just a story, it is a lesson to everyone.
@ryansdomain Me too,.. Very profound and powerfull song,.. Life passes by too quickly,. and by the time we realize it, it's already gone. I think I'll go find a Green Label Beer, go fishing, and contemplate how beautifull life is.
Good to see that others think as highly of this tune as I do. IMO A white sportcoat was his very best.. THIS is right there with "A Pirate looks at 40" IMO..
One of my dad's fondest memories is going on road trips with me when I was small and little-me demanding to "hear Paris again, again, again!!" I am so glad to have been raised a Parrothead, and even more glad that this was, and always will be, once of my favorite songs.
Buffett, a supporter of President Barack Obama, said the roots of the spill lie with the administration of former President George Bush, which was often criticized for being too cozy with the petroleum industry.
"To me it was more about eight years of bad policy before (Obama) got there that let this happen. It was Dracula running the blood bank in terms of oil and leases," he said. "I think that has more to do with it than how the president reacted to it."
"Summers and winters scattered like splinters." Was there ever a better alegory for years passing? Sometimes it seems that Christmas Eve is the day after New Years Day.
Says it all, no? That is what I have on my Facebook page as favorite quote: By the great philosopher, Jimmy Buffett - Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I've had a good life all the way!"
Glad that I am not alone in the appreciation of well chosen and placed words.
jimmy buffett is one of those people that you can't really try to be.there will never be another singer like him.i mean his songs are so moving and he does it all.slower songs, medium, and faster songs. and he pulls them off.when I'm mad or something i always feel better after i listen to a few of his songs.and i think this is a great song.some of the sayings in this songs are so true and in others.he will be beyond extremely hard to replace and immate
"Summers and winters scattered like splinters" never were truer words ever written. Always remember that time flies like an arrow.....fruit flies like a banana."
Jimmy Buffett is more that just an "everyday man's" poet. In my opinion he is a legend and one of the best writers of modern times. He tells my stories in his songs and he makes me feel GOOD !
@fool1shmortal The scary thing is, ya never know. Riding his wave of celebrity in the 80's, Don Johnson-the actor- put out an album or two. As I remember one of the songs was called Heartbeat. In the video, Don Johnson was dressed in a ridiculous "MC HAMMER" outfit with the weird baggy pants thing. Even then, in the cheesy 80's, his music was REALLY cheesy.
Just a great reminder of how short life is and to make the best of what you have at the moment you have it. Don't worry about tomorrow because it just might not show up.
It's a song about the length of a man's life. A man who saw things both good and bad. He saw both ends of love and that's how life is....no matter how lucky we may be.
Musical genius as the past post stated so eloquently, Some of its magic, some of its tragic but I had a good life all the way. What great words to live by!!!
Lots of ways to look at this video. I think it's a beautiful song. "Some of it magic, some of it tragic". That sums it up for most of us. As far as the sad, homeless guy, remember that this was in Jimmy's early days. I'm sure he didn't have much money back then
This is one of my favorite songs in the world, but this video just doesn't capture it. It's a sad song, but beautiful. The important thing is to find the beauty in things and the guy in the song has found it. This video is just a sad homeless guy.
It all depends on the persons interpretation of the song...It could sound like a sad song about a guy who just was miserable and had really bad luck...Or you can look at it as he had some bad things happen but "I enjoyed it all the way" I read his book A Pirate Looks At Forty Great book interesting story.
now that my years are passing me bye (66) I find this song a little sader each day. some of them were magic and many more were tragic but I lived a good life anyway. thanks Jimmy.
In another world, I would have went to Paris. I stayed in Georgia, I kept my babys, I lost my lady. Some of it is magic, some of it is tragic, but I had a great life all the way.
LOVE this song. Reminds me of my Grandma--a WWII war bride. It speaks to me of a time that's gone, and I don't know that we're better off. Something to be said for trying to go to a place to find the answers to "the questions that bother us so."
this has been my favorite jimmy buffett song since i was little listening to it in the car with my dad, it still makes me want to cry and the video is almost as good as the song
Go to one of his concerts and watch him do this just him and his acoustic on stage with the lights down low...He's an amazing entertainer..so much fun!
Says it all, no? That is what I have on my Facebook page as favorite quote: By the great philosopher, Jimmy Buffett - Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I've had a good life all the way!"
Glad that I am not alone in the appreciation of well chosen and placed words.
what a tune..he was impressive, young and aggresive, savin' the world on his own..warm summer breeses, french wines and cheeses put his ambition at bay. I could cry feeling this one.Shit
I am an old dude.First heard this song off a vinyl record in 1979.Jimmy explained the origin of the song ."You had to be there"is the album that turned me on to Mr.Buffet.Shut the heck up.His inspiration was veterans frombefore our time.
"The war took his baby, the bombs killed his lady, and left him with only one eye" OMG, every time I hear these lyrics i want to cry. This is Jimmy Buffett at his best!!
Bob Dylan claims this is one of his favorite written songs..that should say it all !!!!..what a great song and an awesome compliment from one of the best song writers of out times !!
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yeah seriously, you should only listen to jimmy buffet when you're drunk as shit. looking deeply into his songs is not allowed in margaritaville. parrothead law says so.
People are so STUPID! How could this song be about his dad? If the war took his baby and the bombs killed his lady, then explain to me how Jimmy Buffet was born! Dumb shits!
Mostly correct on who it is about. But in the box set he claims it's about a "janitor" that worked in Chicago, in a bar Jimmy was playing at, that was actually a very talented musician, but mostly no one knew it. And he says the ol boy lost a eye, not an arm. Go figure....
The person that said this song is not about his dad is correct. If you get a copy of "You Had to Be there" he explains exactly what this song is about.
You are so right. I guess I just am a little bitter because of what JB was and what he has become. I don't begrudge anyone fame and fortune. It's just that it seems so many have jumped on the proverbial sailboat, that I end up in the dingy. All the nonsense of the constant party really diminishes his more thoughtful songs like HWTP. So much so that when people don't even bother to listen it reminds me why I quit listening so many years ago.
@tednottodd I did enjoy "Barometer Soup." After that, in many ways, maybe he jumped the shark. Then again, some of his albums before that had a lot of fillers.
You're right ..a little bitter. This is why YT is so good it exposes people to different music.. give people a break. You never know someone may teach you something.
Never went to Paris but I can relate to the questions that never really get answered. As is sid some of it was magic, some was tragic but it was a good life thus far all the way.
1955jlewis 3 days ago
@MegaSwingSet yes, I agree..lol.
sherryabach 4 days ago
"Buffett wrote the song about Eddie Balchowsky, a one-armed Spanish Civil War veteran he met while playing in Chicago. The song appears on Songs You Know By Heart, a greatest hits compilation that includes Buffett's concert favorites ranging from 1973 to 1979. However, "He Went to Paris" was the only song off that album that Buffett rarely played live, until he find out that Bob Dylan likes the song and decided to start playing it on a more frequent basis." (Wikipedia).
ViciousTackle 4 days ago
my left ear really enjoyed that.
MegaSwingSet 4 days ago
Very few songs have the ability to truly touch your heart. This song struck a note in me the first time I heard it that no other song had ever done, or has ever since done.
ArtLutherie777 2 weeks ago
Some of its magic some of its tragic but I had a good life all the way........
LLB61959 1 month ago
today i watched my grandpa die...and this song was playing in the backround of his room. just as he took his last breath this song gently said "...he went to paris..." jimmy mightve went to paris, but my grandpa went home. <3
love you grandpa, vetran of WWII, you are gone but never forgotten! <3 <3 <3
lexi2263 1 month ago
13 beings have no clue
eclecticpyrat 2 months ago
jimmy listens
"Through eighty-six years of perpetual motion
If he likes you he'll smile then he'll say
...some of it's magic, some of it's tragic
But I had a good life all the way."
journey46 2 months ago 5
I've been a Parrothead since before I could talk. I grew up with this music, and I couldn't stop listening to it if I tried! ^^ Parrotheads all the way!
WaterbenderKatara22 2 months ago
I enjoy anthing that Jimmy does, but this song stuns me! So much heart!
AylaDarkcloud 2 months ago
<3
KSpring407 2 months ago
AIDS BURGER IN PARADISE
yanivporzanski 3 months ago
bob dylan's favourite song!
fedorwand 3 months ago
Jimmy is an AWESOME author as well.
clarencejdiamond 3 months ago
Where Has the time got too JB has been one of my Favorites since the 70's now here i am in my 50's and he is still going strong took his music around the world when i worked on Seismic Ships one of my favs thanks
pappawheelie09 3 months ago in playlist mello
thank you for not making fun of people who dont like this song. it is offensive and everyone likes different music
TheCountry247 4 months ago
Jimmy first blew me away at the 4th of July Kicker in the Louisiana Superdome, on our Bicentennial, July 4th, 1976. I was barely 17, and had a blast drinking beer with my beloved older sister. Charlie Daniels, John Sebastian, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Emmylou Harris were all there, but Jimmy stole the show to me!
chewbacca0901 4 months ago
One of the most beautiful songs ever written or performed.
bender138 4 months ago
He is also a Philosopher who has spent time with his own Soul and how it exists in this crazy world. He relates Truths all should think about. Your Life will improve... God Bless all of you!
tyarb52 5 months ago
thanx north 40,which ,btw,is 1 of the greatest movies ever
philrizzuto1 5 months ago
Great story..thank you. We are headed across the pond to see Jimmy & the Coral Reefer's for 26Sep11 Show at the Olympia ... just cannot wait!
poogielaurie 6 months ago
This is reported to be Bob Dylan's favorite song. It never plays that I don't remember that. The words and melody are so wonderful. Nearly every song he writes has a story behind it, and I never heard the story behind this one. Would love to know what the legend is.
1948joan1948 6 months ago
he sounds better today then before, he is amazing
Phoenyx7Rising 6 months ago
Ace was another good song like this
W6CSAhamradio 6 months ago
I cried when I first heard this song many years ago. It just tugs at your heart strings! So emotional!
DrFeelgood2013V2 6 months ago 2
i had to try hard not to cry great job jimmy u are my hero
thornbush1241 6 months ago
ya beckleck81 afriend of mine was at one of those shows that he joked about playing to small crowds like on" live you had to be there" buy everyone a burger and go home
eclecticpyrat 6 months ago
Jimmy is one hell of a guy and this is a great song. We have a mutual friend James Taylor's brother Hugh (Huey). Huey lives on Marthas Vineyard and when ever JB flies up on his PBY he stays at Hugh's B&B. I've never been there but Hugh says it is the best. He has had guests from Bill Clinton to Hollywood celebreties and it seems like he likes his time with Jimmy the best. I know I would.
john9944 6 months ago
Im young,hes benn singing since the 70's now pple listen to rock pop and rap but i listen ti JIMMY i know im a parrot head
rrrrrrrrerr 6 months ago
@rrrrrrrrerr i wish i could like ur comment 50 times!
tcwf21496 6 months ago
@tcwf21496 thx!
rrrrrrrrerr 5 months ago
I remembering listening 2 this w/ my late-great father, a proud navy man , so I believe this song is for all the good Dads out here!
hoeingarden 7 months ago
is this about his dad?
philrizzuto1 7 months ago
@philrizzuto1
rrrrrrrrerr 6 months ago
@philrizzuto1 - No, its about an old gentleman Jimmy met in the islands (i foget which one) J B was fishing and wound up talking to this English WW 1 vet. The song is HIS life story. This song always invokes a wave of emotion in my 67 year old heart. Beautiful song, bitter sweet. thanks Jimmy
northfourty 6 months ago 11
@northfourty Likely the most beautiful song Buffet ever wrote. His monumental ago disappears into the lyrics. Very poignant. I'm 68, we're from the same town, sailed the same sailboats, flew the same airplanes with some of the same people, drank in the same bars. I'm a South Florida guy and know a lot of Buffet stories from those years. Too bad the money went to his head.
1jetdrvr 4 months ago 2
@1jetdrvr You also might want to listen to Jimmy's song "The Night I Painted The Sky" from BAROMETER SOUP. Even so, this is probably his "masterpiece".
hooeybrown 1 month ago
@northfourty It's about Eddie Balchowsky, a one-armed janitor in the White Knight club, where Jimmy used to open for people like Bob Marley. Eddie was a great pianist and veteran of the Spanish Civil War and Jimmy struck up a friendship with him. He died in 1989.
MrRahmEmanuel 1 month ago
This video makes the song even more sad and poignant.
lurch321 7 months ago
eclectipyrat, , I agree with you, been listening to Jimmy since 1973, luckily, I saw him in some small places in FL back in the 70s.
beckleck81 7 months ago
This is one of my all time faves...I've sang it to my daughter every night for the last 4 years as her bedtime song
rono31 8 months ago
This is my all time favorite Buffet song.
greeneyedstone42 8 months ago in playlist Favorites
I have almost everything Buffet has released but seem to go back to the first four albums to get my mind right
eclecticpyrat 8 months ago
great song, but I wish we had a better video. I mean, he's supposed to be in the islands afterwards isn't he?
grobworthy 8 months ago 2
One of Buffet's very best.
1jetdrvr 9 months ago
Keep up the good video work looking good. When you have time come visit my channel!
TheHcgdietplan 9 months ago
Stop scrolling, you'll find no gems of wisdom down there. Enjoy the music.
100googan 10 months ago 77
@100googan words of wisdom.
TheOutdoorsman07 7 months ago
i love this song
best of several
todd snider
john hiatt
paschal421 11 months ago
Video shot in my hometown of Philadelphia. A LONG way from Key West.. I love this one. Cold dreary February day. But, somehow, it WORKS. Gotta love it...
SoSwoll 11 months ago
Simply one of the best songwriters ever. Not a bad performer either! A "Jimmy Jump Up' is an experience I HIGHLY recommend! Just leave early b/c the parking lot is one great preshow party NOT to be missed.
MikeUpie 11 months ago
@MikeUpie I don't think he is the one of the best songwriters ever, but I do believe that he has about 4 or 5 songs that are pure genius! Some of his stuff is pretty trite and that's ok because he uses them in his concerts and they get great audience reaction. Then again, some of his lyrics are really clever and the songs have a broad apeal to all types of music lovers regardless of age. I just think he has written some stuff that made even him go WOW, this is really great!! He's great live!
coleyman1 11 months ago
@coleyman1 Just curious as to yer tastes: If Buffett's not one of the best writers (as this song shows) of "universal truths" and the human condition, who do you think is? John Prine? Billy Joel? I listen to a LOT of J.J. Cale, but most have never heard of him, more of a cult artist. OK, I like it that way, and apparently so does he. But his laid-back tunes lack the songwriting skills Buffett exhibits. Who do you listen to for the message? Who do you like for the groove, the vibe they give?
MikeUpie 11 months ago
@MikeUpie Just because I like someone doesn't mean I think they are among a list of "great writers". Hell, I love Buffet, Prine, Joel, Guthery and a host of people who write great stuff from time to time. I think someone like Jimmy Webb has to be considered in the list of "great writers". The man wrote "Witchita Lineman" and of all things, "MacArthur Park". Now if that isn't both ends of the spectrum, I don't know what is! I have a list of several folks that I think are "great writers".
coleyman1 11 months ago
@coleyman1 His book A Pirate Looks At Fifty went straight to No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller non-fiction list, making him one of eight authors in that list's history to have reached No. 1 on both the fiction and non-fiction lists. The seven other authors who have accomplished this are Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, William Styron, Irving Wallace, Dr. Seuss, Mitch Albom and Glenn Beck.
Imspacedbro 9 months ago
@Imspacedbro Wrong kind of writing.... Talking about songs..
coleyman1 9 months ago
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@Imspacedbro intresting. will have to take a look at it
yamahonkawazuki 7 months ago
@coleyman1 Maybe the way we judge "great writers" is different. I judge writers by being able to lyricly and melodicly change course from time to time. Buffet, like most of the people I like to listen to don't fit in that catagory. I listen to traditional country music mostly, but I played professionally for 40 years and got the opportunity to do all kinds of stuff. Buffet has, as I said, 4 or 5 GREAT tunes, genius in fact, but as a whole he tends to stay with songs that follow his life style.
coleyman1 11 months ago
This is his best song by a long arms reach. We saw him sing it at little place in S Miami, before anyone really knew who he was and fame brought too much of a crowd. Outdoors under the coconut trees one summer evening in the 70s.
Fl is paradise :-)
windstruckladyc 11 months ago
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almikar1 1 year ago
Wow... The Song is so great but so sad..
Densetsu004 1 year ago
THIS WHOLE ALBUM REMINDS OF MY DAD HE DIED HE WAS ALSO A SAILOR
phillytheresa 1 year ago
@phillytheresa I was raised as a sailor. Sailed to many exotic places with my dad. He passed away Dec. 18 I had to go to Honduras and have him brought back to the states. I will never forget all the great memories we had and I will always live by the water and try to continue the sailing tradition with my son.
72sonofasailor 1 year ago 2
I would love to shoot this vision in a much more comprehensive way..... This is such a great story! It teaches you to not assume you know a man, especially the elderly... and old man, with one eye, scribbling away in a notebook... drinking his green label... you have no clue the life that he might possibly have led... has seen, has survived... This is a GREAT story....
wernervoss48 1 year ago 2
Where did that young man go who all those many years ago was bound to slay all the dragons before him? And where did all these windmills come from. It is obering indeed to look back at one's life and compare what was to be and what is.
atimtambaby 1 year ago
some of its magic and some of its tragic but i had a good life all the way that is a good line it geets stuck in my head every time
bolognaANDcheese3 1 year ago
Thanks God my dad listens to Jimmy. I'm 22, and I love his music.
Ragnarok6688 1 year ago 2
Jimmy was the soundtrack of my life in the 70's - forever a parrothead
This song is a classic
pyrofella 1 year ago
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Dang I missed this week's episode. I just caught up tho at goodwifestreaming (.) com
coolcan81 1 year ago
Another classic Buffett song with some great lyrics about life.
doobster2010 1 year ago
maybe...
fink99s 1 year ago
this song for some reason reminds me of R.E.M's song Man on the Moon.
rchevalier2012 1 year ago
@rchevalier2012 ? Maybe the style of REM is a bit buffet, but its a very abstract, very coded style. Buffet is more in your face, however in a mellow way. Maybe im just drunk a bit to much, but to me it seems to boil down to passive aggresive vs passive story telling.
Fitzcard 1 year ago
@rchevalier2012 Hehe, im not trying to sound trite, just that maybe Buffet = southern folk experimental vs REM southern folk with a dash of new age (late 80's style at least) punk experimental
Fitzcard 1 year ago
Best kept secret in the USA
jmallton 1 year ago
@jmallton That was nicely put
Fitzcard 1 year ago
Love the song... pity it was not just Jimmy... the vid flow did not work... should have set it and faded to an old man on a tropical beach....
stevebigler 1 year ago
This is the best song ever. Thanks, Jimmy.
thatguy9723 1 year ago
Buffett's best!! Poetry.
nc2kw 1 year ago
Jimmy Buffett and Eric Clapton are the only two artists to ever get tears out of me. This is the music I grew up with as a toddler,and in the end we will all come to the realization that no matter how hard life kicks us. I was a good life all the way.
RebelGuitarist747 1 year ago
Buffett is a modern day poet
kshealy01 1 year ago
This is the only song in the entire history of this earth thats made me cry every time I hear it. This is just such a beautiful song.. The man never gave up.. even when he seemingly lost everything in his life that was important to him. This song is not just a story, it is a lesson to everyone.
ryansdomain 1 year ago 2
@ryansdomain Me too,.. Very profound and powerfull song,.. Life passes by too quickly,. and by the time we realize it, it's already gone. I think I'll go find a Green Label Beer, go fishing, and contemplate how beautifull life is.
TDDWEST 1 year ago
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ryansdomain 1 year ago
favorite of all time.
mrep1967 1 year ago
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mrep1967 1 year ago
This is one of the most amazing songs of all times. Jimmy Buffett is one of the greatest artists of all times. Parrot Head for life
bob201040 1 year ago
love this tune! great story, I had never seen the vid
troutmanwv 1 year ago
Good to see that others think as highly of this tune as I do. IMO A white sportcoat was his very best.. THIS is right there with "A Pirate looks at 40" IMO..
Bullet1960 1 year ago
My daddy used to sing this to me when I was little. :]
iixShexyN3RD 1 year ago
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springs215 1 year ago
One of my favorites.
rneidigh 1 year ago
this is in mono. How interesting.
CoJaEl 1 year ago
Yet you suck in stereo; even more interesting.
CHIROSTAR 1 year ago
Yet, you suck in stereo. Even more interesting.
CHIROSTAR 1 year ago
One of my dad's fondest memories is going on road trips with me when I was small and little-me demanding to "hear Paris again, again, again!!" I am so glad to have been raised a Parrothead, and even more glad that this was, and always will be, once of my favorite songs.
cookyfluke 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Another "Bush Blamer".
Buffett, a supporter of President Barack Obama, said the roots of the spill lie with the administration of former President George Bush, which was often criticized for being too cozy with the petroleum industry.
"To me it was more about eight years of bad policy before (Obama) got there that let this happen. It was Dracula running the blood bank in terms of oil and leases," he said. "I think that has more to do with it than how the president reacted to it."
CornellJames97 1 year ago
"Summers and winters scattered like splinters." Was there ever a better alegory for years passing? Sometimes it seems that Christmas Eve is the day after New Years Day.
john9944 1 year ago 2
LastoftheDyingBreed:
Says it all, no? That is what I have on my Facebook page as favorite quote: By the great philosopher, Jimmy Buffett - Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I've had a good life all the way!"
Glad that I am not alone in the appreciation of well chosen and placed words.
Best of all things to you, friend.
sixpackriverrat 1 year ago
I always tear up with this song.
CapnTac 1 year ago 4
that verse put my life into perspective for me.
diablo3464 1 year ago 2
jimmy buffett is one of those people that you can't really try to be.there will never be another singer like him.i mean his songs are so moving and he does it all.slower songs, medium, and faster songs. and he pulls them off.when I'm mad or something i always feel better after i listen to a few of his songs.and i think this is a great song.some of the sayings in this songs are so true and in others.he will be beyond extremely hard to replace and immate
dansriv63 1 year ago 7
Isnt this about his father?
psi4rick 1 year ago
@psi4rick . How could be about his father? Listen to the lyrics @ 1:49 " The war took his baby" well that would have been him!
sleepyhollowboy27 1 year ago
@sleepyhollowboy27
Maybe his father had more than one child.
brisllll 1 year ago
@psi4rick no
alienhuman 1 year ago
"Summers and winters scattered like splinters" never were truer words ever written. Always remember that time flies like an arrow.....fruit flies like a banana."
john9944 1 year ago 2
Jimmy Buffett is more that just an "everyday man's" poet. In my opinion he is a legend and one of the best writers of modern times. He tells my stories in his songs and he makes me feel GOOD !
dreamerstillable 1 year ago 43
yeah, far as I can tell it's the fucking truth,but I've had a good life all the way.
TheSpliffmon 1 year ago
Can we buy an album with the Don Johnson/Sam Ellison songs on it?
fool1shmortal 1 year ago
How do we judge people?
molly195957 1 year ago
BRILLIANT !
mosquewatcher 1 year ago
i love jimmy buffett
mg35mg 1 year ago
This is the last recording that My Jenifer and I heard together.
It was all magic, my Darling
TheMichaelDStorey 1 year ago
I agree with chad1love and thanks to whoever posted the Don Johnson song. I'm assuming the actor was not the same Don Johnson.
fool1shmortal 1 year ago
@fool1shmortal The scary thing is, ya never know. Riding his wave of celebrity in the 80's, Don Johnson-the actor- put out an album or two. As I remember one of the songs was called Heartbeat. In the video, Don Johnson was dressed in a ridiculous "MC HAMMER" outfit with the weird baggy pants thing. Even then, in the cheesy 80's, his music was REALLY cheesy.
HenryChinaski405 1 year ago
All that hair...were we EVER that young??
bigbubba2009 1 year ago
All that hair....were we EVER that young?
bigbubba2009 1 year ago
One word- Incredible...
shomesomethin 1 year ago
This song is awesome. It always brings a tear to my eye. Thank you for the great video.
headpirate4u 1 year ago
Always been an very interesting, and thoughtful favorite.
Brianvidsnow 1 year ago
Doesn't get any better than this....Tell it like it is Buffett.
jukebox80sman 1 year ago 2
Buffett at his best . . . . Florida in the '70's
7islandsuite 1 year ago
Just a great reminder of how short life is and to make the best of what you have at the moment you have it. Don't worry about tomorrow because it just might not show up.
Necroswrath 1 year ago
It's a song about the length of a man's life. A man who saw things both good and bad. He saw both ends of love and that's how life is....no matter how lucky we may be.
hunclemike 1 year ago
Boy he was hell back then too bad he shouts all that crap at us now.Almost too sickining to bother with.
steelermule 1 year ago
Musical genius as the past post stated so eloquently, Some of its magic, some of its tragic but I had a good life all the way. What great words to live by!!!
tool1209 1 year ago
Me and the wife going to see JB at the Olympia in Paris in September, can't wait....
fookinmarvelous 1 year ago
Such a sad song.
saabman93aero 1 year ago
my favorite song
MrJmccarthy1 1 year ago
Lots of ways to look at this video. I think it's a beautiful song. "Some of it magic, some of it tragic". That sums it up for most of us. As far as the sad, homeless guy, remember that this was in Jimmy's early days. I'm sure he didn't have much money back then
latitudes57 1 year ago 2
This is one of my favorite songs in the world, but this video just doesn't capture it. It's a sad song, but beautiful. The important thing is to find the beauty in things and the guy in the song has found it. This video is just a sad homeless guy.
JerseyGirl2 1 year ago 3
In total agreement with your comment, JG. If you have a chance, I'd like your opinion of my cover. Just started on YT.
cestokjose 1 year ago
It all depends on the persons interpretation of the song...It could sound like a sad song about a guy who just was miserable and had really bad luck...Or you can look at it as he had some bad things happen but "I enjoyed it all the way" I read his book A Pirate Looks At Forty Great book interesting story.
rolhalo 2 years ago 3
such a sad song
WillyM79 2 years ago
It's not really so sad.. listen again sometime.
AndrewIWerdna 2 years ago
Always one of my favorites. Thanks for the post. Greeat job.
headpirate4u 2 years ago 2
now that my years are passing me bye (66) I find this song a little sader each day. some of them were magic and many more were tragic but I lived a good life anyway. thanks Jimmy.
northfourty 2 years ago 2
In another world, I would have went to Paris. I stayed in Georgia, I kept my babys, I lost my lady. Some of it is magic, some of it is tragic, but I had a great life all the way.
Cuzindude 2 years ago 4
LOVE this song. Reminds me of my Grandma--a WWII war bride. It speaks to me of a time that's gone, and I don't know that we're better off. Something to be said for trying to go to a place to find the answers to "the questions that bother us so."
1908cubbiefan 2 years ago 4
this has been my favorite jimmy buffett song since i was little listening to it in the car with my dad, it still makes me want to cry and the video is almost as good as the song
hatchettygoodnessis1 2 years ago
I´m sure Paris is a good place to find oneself...
Vegas is also great! ;}
galonga 2 years ago 2
one word.........beautiful
healthy94 2 years ago 2
Go to one of his concerts and watch him do this just him and his acoustic on stage with the lights down low...He's an amazing entertainer..so much fun!
dakotahstr 2 years ago 3
Some of it's magic, Some of it's tragic, But I've had a good life all the way..... Tell me that ain't the fucking truth?
LastoftheDyingBreed 2 years ago 97
@LastoftheDyingBreed
Says it all, no? That is what I have on my Facebook page as favorite quote: By the great philosopher, Jimmy Buffett - Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic, but I've had a good life all the way!"
Glad that I am not alone in the appreciation of well chosen and placed words.
Best of all things to you, friend.
sixpackriverrat 1 year ago 2
@LastoftheDyingBreed at least he's sitting down the keys drinking his green label each day...And I don't give a shit what most people say either.
springs215 1 year ago
@LastoftheDyingBreed its good, its life.
froggleggers 1 year ago
@LastoftheDyingBreed that is the truth my friend.
latitudes57 11 months ago
what a tune..he was impressive, young and aggresive, savin' the world on his own..warm summer breeses, french wines and cheeses put his ambition at bay. I could cry feeling this one.Shit
chad1love 2 years ago 36
Thanks Lisa, I really needed that!
EDB0223 2 years ago
I haven't heard this in years, my daddy used to sing this to me all the time.
Sk8rgrl4god1909 2 years ago
God, what a beautiful song.
Jazzgirl1983 2 years ago 2
I am an old dude.First heard this song off a vinyl record in 1979.Jimmy explained the origin of the song ."You had to be there"is the album that turned me on to Mr.Buffet.Shut the heck up.His inspiration was veterans frombefore our time.
litlfreddie 2 years ago 2
"The war took his baby, the bombs killed his lady, and left him with only one eye" OMG, every time I hear these lyrics i want to cry. This is Jimmy Buffett at his best!!
mikelly10 2 years ago 5
Bob Dylan claims this is one of his favorite written songs..that should say it all !!!!..what a great song and an awesome compliment from one of the best song writers of out times !!
mulerules 2 years ago
Such language...distracts from this quality song....
scholar365 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
if you mother-fuckers can't stick to the show....go home
dyslexicjim 2 years ago
who honestly cares shut the fuck up sit back and just enjoy the good song
kjreno 2 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
yeah seriously, you should only listen to jimmy buffet when you're drunk as shit. looking deeply into his songs is not allowed in margaritaville. parrothead law says so.
FistsOfTime 2 years ago
love it
520029876 2 years ago 2
People are so STUPID! How could this song be about his dad? If the war took his baby and the bombs killed his lady, then explain to me how Jimmy Buffet was born! Dumb shits!
sleepyhollowboy27 2 years ago
I acutally just read this comment and laughed out loud. Thanks.
Carolinakid86 2 years ago
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This song is beautiful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
smitty5006 2 years ago
Mostly correct on who it is about. But in the box set he claims it's about a "janitor" that worked in Chicago, in a bar Jimmy was playing at, that was actually a very talented musician, but mostly no one knew it. And he says the ol boy lost a eye, not an arm. Go figure....
twotiger2 2 years ago 4
"losing his hearing, but he don't care what most people say...."
<3 Jimmy
bbjrrdr 2 years ago
The person that said this song is not about his dad is correct. If you get a copy of "You Had to Be there" he explains exactly what this song is about.
I wish all you "new" fans would do your homework.
tednottodd 2 years ago
somethings take time just as you and I had to learn so do the new ones, patience is needed sometimes.
cdenpn 2 years ago 2
You are so right. I guess I just am a little bitter because of what JB was and what he has become. I don't begrudge anyone fame and fortune. It's just that it seems so many have jumped on the proverbial sailboat, that I end up in the dingy. All the nonsense of the constant party really diminishes his more thoughtful songs like HWTP. So much so that when people don't even bother to listen it reminds me why I quit listening so many years ago.
tednottodd 2 years ago
@tednottodd I did enjoy "Barometer Soup." After that, in many ways, maybe he jumped the shark. Then again, some of his albums before that had a lot of fillers.
fool1shmortal 1 year ago
You're right ..a little bitter. This is why YT is so good it exposes people to different music.. give people a break. You never know someone may teach you something.
BTW this is one of my fav by Jimmy.
alagumbo 2 years ago
Lets all argue over nothing. Don't forget to yell at each other and name call. The simplest of people resort to the worst tactics.
While I am drinking lots of carrot juice and soaking up rays
fuforlifenegro 2 years ago 3
This song is not about his dad. It is about Phillips Clark (1933-1986). bartender with a colorful past Jimmy met in Key West.
riccangolf 2 years ago
I beg to differ. "A Pirate Looks at Forty" was his homage to Phillp Clark.
taylormade2go 2 years ago
@riccangolf Is there a bio on Clark?
fool1shmortal 1 year ago
This song is NOT about his dad, Buffett wrote the song to Eddie Balchowsky, a one-armed Spanish Civil War veteran he met while playing in Chicago.
phenten 2 years ago 3