Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season

Sara with an H got me thinking about hurricane season...and that caused me to think about the day I went from being a guy from Missouri that happens to enjoy some Buffett to being a full fledged Parrothead.

It was the summer of 1994 and I was visiting my parents here in good ole' Flagler Beach. SR-100 was a one lane highway (with a drawbridge!), Fisherman's Net was called Peppers, Turtle Shack was known as Parrothead Cafe (serendipity?), the empty lot at South 6th and A1A was a bar called Actions. The spot where Shark House burned was called Crabby Joes. There was just empty space under the bridge where the Bridgetender Restaurant used to be (kinda like now OOOOOOOO I had to say it!!!!!). Dollar General was known as the Seaside Market ( I think. Anyhow it was a little grocery store), the Pier Restaurant was the home of a great bar crowd (Thanks to Vicki & Serena, two kick ass bartenders. For the record, I use Vicki's recipe for the Rum Runners that everyone likes so well), and one of the best busboys in history (yours truly). Oh yeah, my favorite hang out? The Golden Lion, of course. I used to get off work at three, drink a Cuba Libre or two, and walk up A1A to the Golden Lion for some beers. Life was good.

Jen (one of the servers) & me sitting in the Pier Restaurant; Summer 1994




Golden Lion in the Summer of 1994. That's my Mom & Dad in the picture

So anyway it was on one of those strolls up (or down) A1A that I knew I was a Parrothead. I had just bought a new Jimmy Buffett cassette (yes that's right kids...a cassette!) called A1A and popped it in my cassette Walkman (lord I sound old! LOL). Along came this song, Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season. It was an epiphanous moment, in which I realized there was more to Buffett than Cheeseburger in Paradise and Margaritaville.

North A1A about 7th Street; Flagler Beach

Now I live in Flagler Beach with a wonderful woman, work at my favorite hangout, and haunt my favorite stretch of highway pretty much daily. Life is still good.




Without further ado, I give you "Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season". I have included a link to listen to the song. I admit, Buffett's steel guitar heavy style in 1975 is not my favorite period of his music. Fellow parrotheads have probably heard him do this live in recent years with his backup singers...a much better version in my opinion.

Click To Listen

Trying To Reason With Hurricane Season by Jimmy Buffett
Album: A1A
Released: 1975

Squalls out on the gulf stream,
Big storms coming soon.
I passed out in my hammock,
God, I slept way past noon.
Stood up and tried to focus,
I hoped I wouldn't have to look far.
I knew I could use a Bloody Mary,
So I stumbled next door to the bar.

[Chorus:]
And now I must confess,
I could use some rest.
I can't run at this pace very long.
Yes, it's quite insane,
I think it hurts my brain.
But it cleans me out and then I can go on.

There's something about this Sunday
It's a most peculiar gray
Strolling down the avenue
That's known as A1A
I was feeling tired, then I got inspired.
And I knew that it wouldn't last long
So all alone I walked back home, sat on my beach
And then I made up this song.

[Chorus]
And now I must confess,
I could use some rest.
I can't run at this pace very long.
Yes, it's quite insane,
I think it hurts my brain.
But it cleans me out and then I can go on.

Well, the wind is blowin' harder now
Fifty knots of there abouts,
There's white caps on the ocean.
And I'm watching for water spouts
It's time to close the shutters
It's time to go inside.
In a week I'll be in gay Paris;
That's a mighty long airplane ride.

[Chorus]
And now I must confess,
I could use some rest.
I can't run at this pace very long.
Yes, it's quite insane,
I think it hurts my brain.
But it cleans me out and then I can go on.

Yes, It cleans me out and then I can go on