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Song & Lyrics Database

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When The Coast Is Clear
Written by: Jimmy Buffett & Mac MacAnally
Performed by: Jimmy Buffett

Originally from the Album: Floridays (1986)
Additional Discography:
Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads (1992)
Jimmy’s Notes:
I grew up on the Alabama Gulf Coast, and it has been a source of a lot of my music. I always like to go home after school is back in session and the crowds have left the beaches. The amusement parks are closed, and one straw covers the artificial turf of the miniature golf course. The tidal pools are once again the domain of the shorebirds, and the water changes it’s darker green, signaling the approach of winter. This is the first song Mac Mcanally and I wrote together, and I think it paints the image the way I like to see it. Painting with words can be as much fun as painting with oils.

Lyrics:
(for Emery Clark, who paints it better than I can say it)
They're closin' down the hangout
The air is turnin' cool
They'r shuttin' off the "superslide"
The kids are back in school

The tourist traps are empty
Vacancy abounds
Almost like it used to be
Before the circus came to town

(CHORUS)
That's when it always happens
Same time every year
I come down to talk to me
When the coast is clear

Hello mister other me
It's been a long time
We hardly get to have these chats
That in itself's a crime

So tell me all your troubles
I'll surely tell you mine
We'll laugh and smoke and cuss and joke
And have a glass of wine

(CHORUS)
That's where it always happens
Same place every year
I come down and talk to me
When the coast is clear

(INSTRUMENTAL)

It's the only place he knows
Where it always happens
Same place every year
I come down and talk to me
When the coast is clear
Shows Played At:
02-05-2013: Pensacola Bay Center – Pensacola, FL
09-02-2010: Nissan Pavillion – Bristow, VA
08-31-2010: Jones Beach Amphitheatre – Wantagh, NY
08-07-2010: Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
07-11-2010: Gulf Shores Public Beach – Gulf Shores, AL
06-30-2010: Lulu’s at Homeport – Gulf Shores, AK
06-26-2003: Verizon Wireless Music Center – Noblesville, IN
04-17-2003: HiFi Buys Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA
02-20-2002: TD Waterhouse Centre – Orlando, FL
02-18-2002: Ice Palace – Tampa, FL
02-16-2002: National Car Rental Center – Ft Lauderdale, FL
02-14-2002: Leon County Civic Center – Tallahassee, FL
11-14-2001: OSU Value Center Arena – Columbus, OH
11-12-2001: The Palace of Auburn Hills – Auburn Hills, MI
11-07-2001: Jefferson County Coliseum – Birmingham, AL
11-05-2001: Philips Arena – Atlanta, GA
10-03-2001: Lulus Sunset Grill – Pascagoula, MS
09-29-2001: Tweeter Center Chicago – Tinley Park, IL
09-27-2001: Tweeter Center Chicago – Tinley Park, IL
09-25-2001: Verizon Wireless Music Center – Noblesville, IN
09-08-2001: Nissan Pavilion – Bristow, VA
09-06-2001: Tweeter Center Philadelphia – Camden, NJ
09-04-2001: Post Gazette Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA
09-01-2001: Tweeter Center Boston – Mansfield, MA
08-30-2001: Tweeter Center Boston – Mansfield, MA
08-27-2001: Blossom Music Center – Cuyahoga Falls, OH
06-02-2001: Alpine Valley Music Theatre – East Troy, WI
05-28-2001: Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre – Irvine, CA
05-24-2001: Coors Amphitheatre – San Diego, CA
05-22-2001: Desert Sky Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
05-04-2001: Margaritaville Cafe – New Orleans, LA
08-22-1997: Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD
12-10-1989: Beacon Theater – New York, NY
12-05-1989: Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WI
Number of Shows: 34