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Nautical Wheelers

by Jimmy Buffett

from the album A1A

Lyrics

Nautical Wheelers who call themselves sailors
Play fiddle tunes under the stars
Petticoats rustle, working shoes scuffle
Hustle on down to the bars

Where the jukebox is blastin’
and the liquor is flowing
an occasional bottle of wine
That’s cause everyone here is just more than
contented to be living and dying in three quarter time

And It’s dance with me, dance with me
Nautical Wheelers
Take me to stars that you know
Come on and dance with me
Nautical Wheelers
I want so badly to go

Well the left foot it’ll follow where the
Right foot has traveled down to the
Sidewalks unglued
And into the street of my city so neat
Where nobody cares what you do
And Sonna’s just grinnin’
And Phil is ecstatic and
Mason has jumped in the sea
While I’m hangin’ on to a line
from my sailboat oh
Nautical Wheelers save me

And It’s dance with me, dance with me
Nautical Wheelers
Take me to stars that you know
Come on and dance with me
Nautical Wheelers
I want so badly to go

Well the sunrise’ll bring on the
sleep that’s escaped us and
everyone’s off to their bed
There’ll be huggin’ and squeezin’
a little pleasin’ and teasin’
and rubbin’ of each others’ head
So won’t you dream on comrades
seems nothing affects you
nothing, no reason nor rhyme
That’s cause everyone here is just more than
contented to be living and dying in three quarter time

And It’s dance with me, dance with me
Nautical Wheelers
Take me to stars that you know
Come on and dance with me
Nautical Wheelers
I want so badly to go

Jimmy’s Note:

When I first arrived in Key West, it was still a wide open town where artists, straights, gays, shrimpers, sailors, criminals, and politicians all frequented the same bars. In the middle of this nest of vipers, a group called the “Nautical Wheelers” square danced every Friday night under a big orange-and-white parachute at the old City Hall, next to the Salvation Army outlet where I bought my clothes. It was a change of pace to sit and watch the square dancers perform with such precision before I stumbled back out onto Duval Street where there were no rules.