Cowboy in the Jungle
The great ones leave us with stories we keep telling and songs we keep singing
If it suddenly ended tomorrow I could somehow adjust to the fall
Good times and riches and son-of-a-bitches I've seen more than I can recall
These changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes
If you have not checked out this series, it is even more touching now that he’s gone. I can imagine that his daughter, Delaney, is comforted with these charming memories. What a treasure.
The movie he’s talking about in the clip above looks hilarious. The tagline and artwork are so perfectly 1970s Redneck. I just found it free on Roku, and the opening song is so Jimmy. Watching it tonight will be a tribute. Hell, I might even drink a Margarita!
I searched for some old cassettes on-line that I had owned and cherished. And wore out on repeat. I’m wondering who’s still buying cassettes, and what machines are they’re playing them on? I love the Highlights “Vintage from the 1970s”.
Songs You Know By Heart was his biggest seller, but the album below was my favorite. It may have even been the inspiration for a certain Substack.
His music contributed some but not all to his estimated $1,000,000,000 fortune. Real estate, restaurants, and bars made up the bulk of his wealth. Pretty damn good for a troubadour.
Songs You Don’t Know By Heart–An Album Essay & Review
Leave it to Jimmy to make a plan to make his fans feel better in this time of mourning. Listening to this album is magical. It’s so stripped down and lacking pretense. When his voice cracks, your heart breaks.
For all of our familiarity with the hits, and he had a ton of them, this is a collection of songs to settle down with your soul and listen to with your heart. Is that salty taste the ocean in our tears?
From the title song, this sure feels familiar.
With no plans for the future
He still seems in control
From a bronco ride to a ten foot tide
He just had to learn to roll
Roll with the punches
Play all of his hunches
Make the best of whatever came his way
What he lacked in ambition
He made up with intuition
Plowing straight ahead come what may
It’s not the first time I’ve looked to Jimmy for some inspiration and motivation. See the post below I wrote last October. Just a photo of the Changes cassette cover conjures up coastal carousals and cavorting coxswains.
Jimmy lives on, every single time we tell a story or sing a song.
Ric
The original version of almost every thing