Jimmy Buffett Quotes (1946-2023)

“Son of a son, son of a son, son of a son of a sailor.
Son of a gun; load the last ton,
One step ahead of the jailer.”

“The Great Filling Station Holdup”

“Boat drinks.
Waitress, I need two more boat drinks.
Then I'm headin south 'fore my dream shrinks.
I gotta go where it's warm.”

“As the son of a son of a sailor,
I went out on the sea for adventure.
Expanding the view of the captain and crew
Like a man just released from indenture.”

“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.”

“Wasted away again in Margaritaville,
Searchin' for my lost shaker of salt.
Some people claim that there's a woman to blame,
But I know it's nobody's fault.”

“Mother, mother ocean, after all these years I've found
My occupational hazard being my occupations just not around.
I feel like I've drowned,
Gonna head uptown.”

“As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man,
I have chalked up many a mile.
Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks,
And I've learned much from both of their styles.”

“I'm growing older but not up.
My metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck.
Let those winds of time blow over my head.
I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead.”

“These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes,
Nothing remains quite the same.
Through all of the islands and all of the highlands,
If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane.”

“Enduring echoes call out from his past.
Time ain't for saving, no time's not for that.
Chasing false echoes like a lost legionnaire,
He waltzes on memories while he fades like a flare.”

“I blew out my flip flop,
Stepped on a pop top,
Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home.
But there's booze in the blender,
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.”

“Please don't say mañana if you don't mean it
I have heard those words for so very long.
Don't try to describe the ocean if you've never seen it.
Don't ever forget that you just may wind up being wrong.”

“And now I wish I was somewhere other than here,
Down in some honky tonk, sippin' on a beer.
Yes, I wish I was somewhere other than here.
'Cause that great fillin' station holdup
Cost me two good years.”

“I really do appreciate the fact you're sittin' here.
Your voice sounds so wonderful,
But your face don't look too clear.
So, Barmaid, bring a pitcher, another round of brew.
Honey, why don't we get drunk and screw.”

“We're gypsies in the palace, he's left us here alone.
The order of the Sleepless Knights will now assume the throne.
We ain't got no money, we ain't got no right,
But we're gypsies in the palace, we got it all tonight.”

“We’ve gotta roll with the punches
Learn to play all of our hunches.
Makin’ the best of whatever comes your way.
Forget that blind ambition
And learn to trust your intuition.
Plowin’ straight ahead come what may.”

“I never used to miss the chance to climb up on his knee
And listen to the many tales of life upon the sea.
We'd go sailing back on Barkentines we'd talk of things he did
Tomorrow just a day away, for the Captain and the kid.”

“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. I think that has more to do with it than how the president reacted to it.”

“I went down to Captain Tony's to get out of the heat
When I heard a voice call out to me, "Son, come have a seat."
I had to search my memory as I looked into those eyes;
Our lives change like the weather but a legend never dies”

“Can't you feel 'em circlin' honey?
Can't you feel 'em swimmin' around?
You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
And you're the only bait in town.
You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
And you're the only girl in town.”

“I used to rule my world from a pay phone
And ships out on the sea.
But now times are rough
And I got too much stuff;
Can't explain the likes of me.

But there's this one particular harbour,
So far but yet so near.
Where I see the days as they fade away,
And finally disappear.”

“Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call.
Wanted to sail upon your waters
Since I was three feet tall.
You've seen it all, you've seen it all.

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.”

“He went to Paris, looking for answers
To questions that bothered him so.
He was impressive, young and aggressive,
Saving the world on his own.
But the warm Summer breezes,
The French wines and cheeses
Put his ambition at bay.
And Summers and Winters
Scattered like splinters,
And four or five years slipped away.”