That's What Living Is To Me Lyrics - Jimmy Buffett

That's What Living is to Me 

By: Jimmy Buffett 

1988 

I would like to thank J.D. Souther for the book, Harry Belafonte for the early inspiration and Mark Twain for taking the trip long ago. 

-- Spoken: 

"Back toward the turn of the century, you know, Mark Twain took a trip around the world on a steamship and he wrote a book called 'Following the Equator'. And the opening page has a dedication that says, 'Be good, and you will be lonesome,' which for me, still seems to work in the fabulous eighties." 

Jason Mason hears the sound 

The whistle blows in Congo town 

And the mail boat's in, mail boat's in 

Brings him things from oh so far 

Old magazines and Snicker bars 

A simple man, a simple plan 

The world's too big to understand 

Related 

The Best Karaoke Songs Ever, Ranked 

From MetroLyrics to You: Our Classic Christmas Playlist 

5 Totally Underrated Christmas Songs 

Chorus: 

Be good and you will be lonesome 

Be lonesome and you will be free 

Live a lie and you will live to regret it 

That's what livin' is to me 

That's what livin' is to me 

On a timeless beach in Hispaniola 

Young girl sips a diet cola 

She's worlds apart, worlds apart 

Spirit of the black king still 

Reverberates through Haitian hills 

He rules the sea and all the fish 

What if he had a TV dish? 

Chorus: 

Be good and you will be lonesome 

Be lonesome and you will be free 

Live a lie and you will live to regret it 

That's what livin' is to me 

That's what livin' is to me 

Photos 

Now in the far off regions the foreign legion 

Keep the thieves and the predators at bay 

While closer to home some bad boys still roam 

The streets aren't safe so give it one more day 

One more day 

One more day 

Stories from my favorite books 

Still take on many different looks 

And I'm gone again, home again 

The time has come the walrus said 

And little oysters hide their head 

My Twain of thought is loosely bound 

I guess it's time to Mark this down 

Chorus: 

Be good and you will be lonesome 

Be lonesome and you will be free 

Live a lie and you will live to regret it 

That's what livin' is to me 

That's what livin' is to me 

That's what livin' is to me 

That's what livin' is to me 

-- Spoken: 

"Thank you, Mark."