Jimmy Buffett has died: ‘A good life all the way’

By Elizabeth Prata

76-year-old songster and ultimate hedonist Jimmy Buffett has passed away. No cause of death has been announced.

Jimmy Buffett’s laid-back party vibe created adoring ‘Parrotheads’ and success beyond music: “Buffett built an empire based largely on Caribbean-flavored pop that celebrated the Florida Keys, sunshine and nightlife. His name became synonymous with a laid-back subtropical party vibe, and his fans were known as Parrotheads.”

He holds a special place in my life. I loved his music. One of the earliest lyrics I wrote in little girl script on the blank side of an index card and tacked on my cork board above my desk was from 1977’s album Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes, “If we couldn’t laugh we’d all go insane”.

As a thirtysomething I’d sought a different way of living after I became burned out as a teacher and melancholy over an unwanted divorce. Buffett’s ‘drop out and enjoy the beach’ brand of hedonism now spoke to me, as Maine winters with frigid temps, gray skies, and asphalt encrusted frozen snowbanks dimmed the spirit. Here, I’d clung to the lyric “I gotta go where it’s warm!”

I found it when my new husband and I boarded his yacht and sailed into the sunset. We anchored in Georgetown, The Bahamas and the lyric “One Particular Harbor” now resonated with us. We met lots of fellow ‘Parrotheads’ who had the same dream to drop out, live a life of pleasure, and enjoy the simple things like “Boat Drinks” while searching for the “Green Flash at Sunset” (which we finally saw!) I was living the dream.

But was I?

I was still melancholy, still felt I was searching for something that would salve the sadness and constant friction in my soul. I was not saved. I could listen to Buffett all day long, and agree with him on so many counts as I parroted the lyrics, but I still cried real tears in the wee night. I didn’t know why.

A few years later we “swallowed our anchor” and became employed landlubbers again. The Lord’s timing was such that He saw fit to NOW show me the truth. We don’t live for ourselves but we live to give God the glory He deserves and enjoy Him forever. As my sanctification increased I found myself leaving the Buffett songs, as I found them tinged with an underlying anger and rebellion.

Buffett’s Catholic upbringing left a deep mark on his soul. You can hear it in many of his songs, where he acknowledges sin but never seeks the remedy. Because of the lies of the Catholic Church in his 14 formative years, he ran as fast as he could from God and never looked back, except to entwine the God of truth with the false god of Catholicism and disparage Him in song.

This 2018 article from a Catholic perspective recounts Buffett’s angst and anger over it all. I think it is well-written.

The Catholic Imaginings of Jimmy Buffett

“I broke out of the grip of Catholicism…” Buffett wrote in his autobiography “A Pirate Looks at Fifty”.

The harm that false religion does to a soul is incalculable. He wrote “Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost” in 1994, and here are two stanzas,

So many dragons lurking out in the fog
So many crazy people mumblin’ monologues
It’s not the tales of Stephen King that I’ve read
I need protection from the things in my head

Vampires, mummies and the holy ghost
These are the things that terrify me the most
No aliens, psychopaths or MTV hosts
Scares me like vampires, mummies and the holy ghost

We can see that the true Holy Ghost never made an appearance to Buffett’s troubled soul and distressed mind through God’s word rightly interpreted. Only the Catholic version.

As for me, I enjoyed his music, I liked his lyrics, I tried living the Buffett philosophy of life for a while. Then the Lord above dropped the scales from my eyes and graciously gave me the faith to repent and clearly see Jesus in His glory through His word. I’m grateful for that.

Today I’ll still probably play a few Buffett songs in acknowledgement of his talent and enjoy listening to “One Particular Harbor”- but this time my harbor is Christ, not Georgetown.

Jimmy Buffett died from as yet undeclared causes, but his soul lives on. Buffett wrote in “He Went to Paris, “some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic, but I had a good life all the way.” He did. He was admired for his music, he was an author of children’s books and adult books, he had 3 kids whom he loved, he was a millionaire, he sailed boats and flew planes to his heart’s content. He accepted the applause of millions right up until recently in his sell-out live concerts.

“Along with hit songs, Buffett wrote best-selling novels. In 2008 he was ranked by Vanity Fair as No. 97 on a list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and his fan base was broad and loyal. Even when he was in his 60s, his concert tickets fetched more than $100.” Source

His earthly life has finished. He inspired many, he charmed many, and he had a good life all the way.

Now his eternal life begins.