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Tampico Trauma

by Jimmy Buffett

from the album Changes In Latitudes, Changes In Attitudes

Lyrics

I must look a mess I must admit
But I have been traveling quite a bit
South of the border where the law and order
Is kept by Federales who just grin
And tell you they just want to be your friend
They tell you they just want to be your friend
I left for Tampico last July
I jumped off that boat I almost died

There to greet us were pretty senoritas
I swore that I would not go home them
All those lovely ladies were my friends
All those sweet Chiquita’s they don’t pretend
Como estas, Senorita?

That is all I really want to say
I was thrown out of the country yesterday
You see I was drinkin’ doubles
Causin’ lots of trouble
When the man looked in the window of the bar and he grinned
And said if you come back we may not be your friend
I don’t want to see you around here again
You come back next time we may not pretend
Hi Dee Ho Boys!

Jimmy’s Note:

The name Tampico has always held a sense of danger for me. I guess it comes from watching the opening scene in Treasure of Sierra Madre when Bogart and Tim Holt won the lottery. Instead of cowboys, I put a couple of rock’n rollers in the coastal town and let my imagination go.