Lyric Death Of An Unpopular Poet

By: Jimmy Buffett
1973
I once knew a poet
Who lived before his time
He and his dog Spooner
Would listen while he d rhyme
Words to make ya happy
Words to make you cry
Then one day the poet suddenly did die

But he left behind a closet
Filled with verse and rhyme
And through some strange transaction
One was printed in the Times
And everybody s searchin
For the king of undergound
Well they found him down in Florida
With a tombstone for a crown

Everybody knows a line
From his book that cost four ninety-nine
I wonder if he knows he s doin
Quite this fine

Cause his books are all best sellers
And his poems were turned to song
Had his brother on a talk show
Though they never got along
And now he s called immortal
Yes he s even taught in school
They say he used his talents
A most proficient tool

But he left all of his royalties
To Spooner his ol hound
Growin old on steak and bacon
In a doghouse ten feet round
And everybody wonders
Did he really lose his mind
No he was just a poet who lived before his time
He was just a poet who lived before his time