Death Of An Unpopular Poet

Jimmy Buffett

I once knew a poet who lived before his time

He and his dog Spooner would listen as he'd rhyme

Words to make you happy and words to make you cry

And then one day the poet suddenly did die.

But he left behind a closet filled with verse and rhymes

And through some strange transaction

One was printed in the Times

And everybody's searching for the king of underground

They found him down in Florida with a tombstone for a crown.

And everybody knows a line from his books that cost $4.99

I wonder if he knows he's doin' quite this fine.

'Cause his books are all best sellers and his poems were turned to song

They had his brother on a talk show though they never got along

And now he's called immortal, yes, he's even taught in school

They say he used his talents, a most proficient tool.

But he left all of his royalties to Spooner his old hound

Growing old on steak and bacon in his doghouse ten feet 'round

And everybody wonders did he really lose his mind

No, he was just a poet who lived before his time

Yes, he was just a poet who lived before his time.

1973 American Broadcasting Music, Inc. (ASCAP)

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