Buffett began playing guitar during his first year at Auburn University before continuing his college years at Pearl River Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi. He began his musical career in Nashville, Tennessee, during the late 1960s as a country artist and recorded his first album, the country-tinged folk rock record "Down to Earth" in 1970.
Moving to FLorida, Buffett's second release was 1973's A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean. Albums Living & Dying in 3/4 Time and A1A both followed in 1974, Havana Daydreamin' appeared in 1976, and Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes followed in 1977, which featured the breakthrough hit song "Margaritaville".
Buffett's album License to Chill, released on July 13, 2004, topped the U.S. pop albums chart for the first time in his career.
Buffett continued to tour regularly until shortly before his death, although later in his career, he shifted to a more relaxed schedule of around 20–30 dates, with infrequent back-to-back nights, preferring to play only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This schedule provided the title of his 1999 live album.
In August 2006, he released the album Take the Weather with You.
On April 20, 2010, a double CD of performances recorded during the 2008 and 2009 tours, called Encores, was released.
In 2020, Buffett released Songs You Don't Know by Heart, a fan-curated collection of his lesser-known songs rerecorded on his collection of notable guitars.
Illness and death:
In May 2023, Buffett was hospitalized to "address some issues that needed immediate attention" and rescheduled tour dates. In late August, he entered hospice care and had a final meeting with family and friends, in which his last words to his sister were "have fun". Buffett died on September 1, 2023, age 76, at his home in Sag Harbor, New York, due to complications from Merkel-cell carcinoma, a rare and aggressive skin cancer, with which he had been diagnosed four years earlier. He was surrounded by his family, friends, music, and dogs at the time of his death.
Brown Eyed Girl
Jimmy Buffett Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Days when the rains came
Down in a hollow
Playin' a new game
Laughin' and a runnin'
Skippin' and a jumpin'
In the misty mornin' fog
It was you, my brown eyed girl
You, my brown eyed girl
Now what ever happened
Tuesday is oh so slow
Goin' down the old mine
With a transistor radio
Standin' in a sunlit lane
Hidin' 'hind a rainbow's wall
Slippin' and a slidin', yeah
All along the waterfall
It was you, my brown eyed girl
You, my brown eyed girl
Do you remember when
We used to sing
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
So hard to find my way
Now that I'm on my own
Thought about it just the other day
My, where's the time all gone
Can't remember back then, Lord
Sometimes I'm overcome thinkin' 'bout
Makin' love in the green grass
Behind the stadium
With you, my brown eyed girl
You, my brown eyed girl
Do you remember when
We used to sing
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da (yeah)
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da (oh)
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da (oh)
Jimmy Buffett’s “Brown Eyed Girl” evokes memories of a carefree, youthful past. The song recounts a nostalgic story about two young lovers who used to play in a hollow and do silly things. They used to laugh, run, skip and jump in the misty morning fog with their hearts thumping. The girl has brown eyes, hence the title of the song, and she seems to be a treasured memory from the past. The lyrics convey the innocence of youth, and the longing for simpler times, when love was innocent, and life was carefree. The second verse recalls how they used to spend their time in the mines with a transistor radio. They would hide behind the rainbow walls, slip, and slide their way all along the waterfall, and cherish their time together. The chorus repeats, and the song ends with a memory of sexual discovery in the green grass behind the stadium, with his brown eyed girl. The song speaks to a universal feeling of nostalgia for lost love and the memories of a youthful, innocent past.
Brown Eyed Girl was one of Jimmy Buffett’s first and biggest hits, released in 1973. Here are some interesting facts about the song:
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, where did we go?
Asking the listener where their memories have taken them
Days when the rains came
Talking about past experiences of rain and possibly sadness
Down in a hollow
Referring to a specific place where these experiences happened
Playin' a new game
Experiencing something new and fun
Laughin' and a runnin'
Having a good time and feeling carefree
Skippin' and a jumpin'
Acting youthful and energetic
In the misty mornin' fog
Imagining a specific time of day and weather
Ah, with our hearts a thumpin'
Noticing the excitement and joy from the memories being recalled
It was you, my brown eyed girl
Remembering a specific person who was present during these experiences
Now what ever happened
Questioning what has changed since those memories
Tuesday is oh so slow
Feeling negative about the present time
Goin' down the old mine
Imagining going back underground to past experiences
With a transistor radio
Bringing a simple form of entertainment in the past
Standin' in a sunlit lane
Imagining a specific place where good things happened
Hidin' 'hind a rainbow's wall
Possibly referencing a time of happiness and safety
Slippin' and a slidin', yeah
Having fun and enjoying oneself
All along the waterfall
Imagining being near a body of water and having fun
Do you remember when
We used to sing
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
Recalling a happy time and possibly attempting to bring the listener in on the memory
So hard to find my way
Now that I'm on my own
Feeling lost and possibly alone without the person being remembered
Thought about it just the other day
My, where's the time all gone
Realizing that memories of a happy time has passed by so quickly
Can't remember back then, Lord
Sometimes I'm overcome thinkin' 'bout
Acknowledging that memory recall can be difficult sometimes
Makin' love in the green grass
Behind the stadium
With you, my brown eyed girl
You, my brown eyed girl
Recalling a specific romantic memory with the person being remembered
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da (yeah)
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da (oh)
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da (oh)
Repeating the phrase from earlier, possibly in an attempt to bring back happy memories
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Van Morrison
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind