A final goodbye to the Mayor of Margaritaville.
I’m not going to lie… you might need to pull out the tissues for this one. Since Jimmy Buffett‘s death last year, the community has been still feeling the loss of one of the greats. With the massive Hollywood Bowl tribute concert honoring Buffett’s life and legacy taking place the other week, this song could not be more perfectly timed.
While the concert will serve as a goodbye for some that were singing on stage, Zac Brown Band and Mac McAnally decided to give Buffett one final adios with their latest single, “Pirates & Parrots.” Zach Brown premiered the song during Keep The Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett, but one performance of the sweet song was not enough, leading to the release of a studio cut.
“I’m so excited for you to hear this song and to pay tribute to Jimmy Buffett. It hit me hard when we found out he was exiting the stage, he was an incredible human being.”
The lyrics promise Buffett that his island spirit will live on, and Brown and McAnally hope that the island in the sky is just as beautiful as one can imagine. They hope to be reunited one day and make music together again.
“Gone too soon, but left a song
Passed a torch to carry on
As long as people sing along
You’ll live on and on and on
So adios, my friend
Anchor where that ocean ends
We’ll pick up where you left off
Strummin’ on a sailor song
We’ll hold down this salty rock
Where it’s always 5 o’clock
When the sun goes down, we raise our drinks
All the pirates and the parrots sing.”
This song perfectly captures how Buffett’s friends, collaborators, and fans have been feeling since the icon’s death. This sweet song tugs at the heartstrings but also reminds you of the power that music has to connect us all.
This one deserves to be played as max volume.
