The Best Advice Jimmy Buffett Ever Gave Me

As much as we at Beachy365 love Jimmy Buffett, we're not actually friends. He's never passed on advice to us directly, but a lot of his music feels like a fun conversation with a good friend. Sometimes, though, his songs resonate on a deeper level. As we move into 2021 on the heels of a year when the world often felt out of control, we keep returning to the lovely song Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On. 

Jimmy co-wrote it with a member of his band, the Coral Reefers, after Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005 and killed nearly 2,000 people. He has said the lyrics "breathe in, breathe out, move on" are a kind of mantra to help people through hard times.

COVID-19 upended our lives and made things difficult, at best; for some, it has been heartbreaking. We wish there was something to make it all better. In the meantime, we'll continue to breathe. We hope this song helps you, too.  

Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On

(Jimmy Buffett and Matt Betton)

I bought a cheap watch from a crazy man
Floating down Canal
It doesn't use numbers or moving hands
It always just says now

Now you may be thinking that I was had
But this watch is never wrong
And if I have trouble, the warranty said:
Breathe in, breathe out, move on

And it rained, it was nothing really new
And it blew, we've seen all that before
And it poured, the Earth began to strain
Pontchartrain leaking through the door, tides at war

If a hurricane doesn't leave you dead
It will make you strong
Don't try to explain it, just nod your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on

And it rained, nothing really new
And it blew, seen all that before
And it poured, the Earth began to strain
Pontchartrain buried the Ninth Ward to the second floor

According to my watch, the time is now
Past is dead and gone
Don't try to shake it, just nod your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on
Don't try to explain it, just bow your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on