Album: Volcano (1979)

Charted: 35

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• She came down from Cincinnati,
  It took her three days on the train.
  Lookin' for some peace and quiet,
  Hoped to see the sun again.
  
  But now she lives down by the ocean
  She's takin' care to look for sharks.
  They hang out in the local bars,
  And they feed right after dark.
  
  Can't you feel 'em circlin', honey?
  Can't you feel 'em swimmin' around?
  You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
  And you're the only bait in town.
  Oh oh
  Oh oh
  You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
  And you're the only girl in town.
  
  She's saving up all of her money,
  Wants to head it south in May,
  Maybe roll in the sand with a rock 'n' roll man,
  Somewhere down Montserrat way.
  
  But the money's good in the season,
  Helps to lighten up her load.
  Boys keep her high as the months go by,
  She's getting postcards from the road.
  
  Can't you feel 'em closin' in, honey?
  Can't you feel 'em schoolin' around
  You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
  And you're the only girl in town.
  
  Sailed off to Antigua,
  It took her three days on a boat
  Lookin' for some peace and quiet,
  Maybe keep her dreams afloat.
  
  But now she feels like a remora
  'Cause the school's still close at hand
  Just behind the reef are the big white teeth,
  Of the sharks that can swim on the land.
  
  Can't you feel 'em circlin', honey?
  Can't you feel 'em schoolin' around?
  You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
  And you're the only bait in town.
  You got fins to the left, fins to the right,
  And you're the only girl in town. Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 10

• Travelingmodel from Cincinnati, OhRIP Jimmy. You were the main event every summer. We had so much fun when you came to Cincinnati. your show got bigger every year, and so did the tail-gating. Fins to the left
• Tim Formerly From Fort Lauderdale from Orange, VaTamara - Actually, Timothy B. Schmit (also from the Eagles) actually coined the name, "Parrotheads" while playing with Jimmy during a concert.
• Tamara from Mechanicsville, IaActually I have read that Joe Walsh came up with the name "Parrotheads" .
  We love you here in Iowa, Jimmy!
• Sean from Altoona, WiI am going to see Jimmy Buffett in East Troy, WI on August 29th (Tomorrow). It is the same day as my birthday. I have never seen Jimmy Buffett before. It should be a great concert!! Hope he performs this song. Fins to the left, Fins to the right!!
• Sailorbob from Orange Park, FlOf Course it is about the girl from Cincinnatti on vacation with all the men circling around her trying to pick her up....
  
  fins to the left, fins to the right, you are the only bait in town....not many women around
  
  Can't you feel circling means do you not sense they are ready to strike and take the bait (the you, the girl!)
• Darrell from EugeneThe line about land sharks could refer either to lawyers or to huge cars with large tailfins, such as the 1960 Plymouth Fury and 1959 Lincoln Capri that I owned until 1988 and 1974, respectively.
• Mark from Lancaster, OhI had never heard this until it showed up on the sound system at Wal-mart, for heaven's sake. Background music is short on program notes, so I listened carefully, wrote down as many words of the lyrics as I could, and put them into Google. Bingo. I didn't recognize the singer as Mr Buffet until that point. Excellent.
• Gary from Sandusky, OhI believe the girls name was Mary. Cincinnati was the home of a great friend and she left to join the ligh manager of a rock band in Monsaratt.
• Annabelle from Eugene, OrWhen I think of the lyrics, "Fins to the left, fins to the right", I think of people that are surrounded by hundreds of sharks in the ocean.
• Jillian from Cincinnati, OhHe mentions "Cincinnati" in the first line.
  
  Jimmy makes sure he plays Cincinnati on every tour; he always sells out there in record time! In fact, the Cincinnatian Buffett fans coined the term "Parrotheads," which is now what his loyal fans are called.

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