I wanna go back to the island
Where the shrimp boats tie up to the pilin'
Give me oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year
And I'll feel fine, I'll feel fine

'Cause I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and lie beside the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice
Fill it up with good red wine
And I'm a-chewin' on a honeysuckle vine

Yeah, now the sun goes slidin' 'cross the water
Sailboats, they go searchin' for the breeze
Salt air, it ain't thin
It can stick right to your skin
And make you feel fine
It makes you feel fine

I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and get high by the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice
Fill it up with good red wine
And I'm a-chewin' on a honeysuckle vine

Yes, and now you heard my strange proposal
Get that Packard up and let's move
I wanna be there before the day
Tries to steal away and leave us behind
I've made up my mind

And I wanna be there
I wanna go back down and lie beside the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice
Fill it up with good red wine
And I'm a-chewin' on a honeysuckle vine

Yeah, with a tin cup for a chalice
Fill it up with good red wine
And I'm a-chewin' on a honeysuckle vine


Lyrics submitted by EnjOy IncUbus, edited by gulfcoaster

Tin Cup Chalice Lyrics as written by Jimmy Buffet

Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group

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Tin Cup Chalice song meanings
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4 Comments

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  • +1
    General Comment

    Actually, it is "Packard." J.B. describes in his book "A Pirate Looks at Fifty" about his infamous first trip to Key West with Jerry Jeff Walker and his old Packard, "The Flying Lady."

    UnpopularPoeton January 13, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Pretty straight-forward song about wanting to go back to paradise and leave all the daily grind behind. That's pretty much what Jimmy B is all about.

    LaBradford22on May 05, 2009   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion

    IMHO, the song refers to Dauphin Island, Alabama, near to where Jimmy is from. It has oysters, shrimp boats, pine trees and honeysuckle vines. All part of the lyrics but only Jimmy knows for sure. It's one of my favorite songs of his, and one day in the distant future it'll be played when my ashes are scattered over the Gulf of Mexico south of Dauphin Island.

    gulfcoasteron November 29, 2013   Link
  • -1
    General Comment

    It's not

    "Get that Packard up and let's move"

    It's

    "pack gear"

    Aristocrackeron December 25, 2005   Link

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