thats what living is to me

That's What Living is to Me
By: Jimmy Buffett
1988
I would like to thank J.D. Souther for the book, Harry Belafonte for the early inspiration and Mark Twain for taking the trip long ago.
-- Spoken:
"Back toward the turn of the century, you know, Mark Twain took a trip around the world on a steamship and he wrote a book called 'Following the Equator'. And the opening page has a dedication that says, 'Be good, and you will be lonesome,' which for me, still seems to work in the fabulous eighties."

Jason Mason hears the sound
The whistle blows in Congo town
And the mail boat's in, mail boat's in
Brings him things from oh so far
Old magazines and Snicker bars
A simple man, a simple plan
The world's too big to understand

Chorus:
Be good and you will be lonesome
Be lonesome and you will be free
Live a lie and you will live to regret it
That's what livin' is to me
That's what livin' is to me

On a timeless beach in Hispaniola
Young girl sips a diet cola
She's worlds apart, worlds apart
Spirit of the black king still
Reverberates through Haitian hills
He rules the sea and all the fish
What if he had a TV dish?

Chorus:
Be good and you will be lonesome
Be lonesome and you will be free
Live a lie and you will live to regret it
That's what livin' is to me
That's what livin' is to me

Now in the far off regions the foreign legion
Keep the thieves and the predators at bay
While closer to home some bad boys still roam
The streets aren't safe so give it one more day
One more day
One more day

Stories from my favorite books
Still take on many different looks
And I'm gone again, home again
The time has come the walrus said
And little oysters hide their head
My Twain of thought is loosely bound
I guess it's time to Mark this down