[Guitar Strum] <<Announcer>> You're watching Main Street Unplugged.

Welcoming back the performer who started the series, Scott Kirby, presented by Basin PBS.

Sponsored by the Monahans Chamber of Commerce.

[Audience Clapping] ♪♪ <<Scott>> This is a song about being on the road.

♪♪ Sometimes I ride that old greyhound.

Just to see what I can see.

Sometimes I ride my BSA the motor sounds so sweet.

Sometimes I ride that mountain train to the rhythm of the reins.

Sometimes I travel by the sea.

Wooden decks and sails.

Sunrise on the vineyard.

Sunset in the keys.

Moonlight on the terrace.

He takes me to my knees.

Drinking wine by the bottle.

Upon a ledge.

Well, I'm a hobo grown down to the bone.

Out here near the edge.

Sometimes I go by Jimmy.

Sometimes I go by Jim.

Run my ass.

Run out of gas.

And crash and burn to shit.

Sometimes I road my Dori.

To the ferry in the bay.

Cross Vineyard Sound to Edgartown.

Just to drink the fog away.

Sunrise on the vineyard.

Sunset in the keys.

Moonlight on the terrace.

It takes me to my knees.

Drinking wine by the bottle.

And up on a ledge.

Well, I'm a hobo grown Down to the bone.

Out here near the edge.

Hit the ground running.

On the night of my birthday.

I quench my thirst I slide headfirst right into the grave.

Precious time and sands of time.

It keeps me moving on where roads and rails and moonlit sails are where I do belong.

♪♪ Sometimes I go by steamer.

Sometimes I take my car.

Sometimes I travel way too fast.

Sometimes I go too far.

Sometimes I ride those big blue dreams out of reach.

Sometimes I rode out on the ground.

Just to crash right on the beach.

Sunrise on the vineyard.

Sunset in the keys.

Moonlight on the terrace.

It takes me to my knees.

Drinking wine by the bottle.

Up on a ledge.

Well Im hobo grown down to the bone Out here near the edge.

♪♪ Near the edge ♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you very, very much.

Appreciate you being here.

I'm very honored to be playing at Basin's 40th anniversary party.

And I was told today that I played here exactly seven years ago in the uh same uh building, for a similar event.

So, uh I'm happy to be here, and I'd like to thank uh the, Monahans Chamber of Commerce for for sponsoring our music your music series here.

And, uh and I'm so happy to be back here in Midland, uh.

For those who have not seen me play before, I'm from New Hampshire.

Originally, both my grandparents were men of the sea.

My grandfather, whom I'm my mom's side uh, was in the Navy from both World War one and War two, and my grandfather on my dad's side was grew up as a Newfoundland fisherman.

So I'm a long way from the ocean.

I'm on a on a on a three month tour.

So this is a song about the sea.

♪♪ Run me sharing rhythm told me share and take a seeing the sun come up 10,000 times.

From palaces, bars and jails.

When the sun goes down and over the hedge.

The nights last song is through one and step on my little blue boats sail away with you.

Baby sail away with you.

Want to sail away with you.

Down the beach.

Out past the reef.

Where the sunsets greets the moon.

There's only room for two.

I've been on the rocks I've been on some rolls.

The Long Island nights.

And the heat and the lights have all taken their toll.

When the sun goes down and over the hedge.

The nights last song is through want to step on my little blue boat sail away with you.

Baby sail away when you want to sail away with you.

Down the beach.

Out past the reef, where the sunset greets the moon.

There's only room for two.

Crossed the Carolinas sea grass Nantuckets dunes.

Head down the beach.

Out past the reef where the sunset sleeps with the moon.

There's only room for two.

♪♪ Sail the seven seas I've flown the seven skies.

I've been around the world about a dozen times I've been low, I've been high.

The sun goes down and over the hedge.

The nights last song is through.

Want to step on my little blue boat.

Sail away with you.

Baby sail away with you want to sail away with you.

Down the beach.

Out past the reef where the sunset greets the moon want to sail away with you.

Want to sail away with you.

There's only room for two.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you very much.

Thank you, thank you.

Well, I know you've got some beautiful islands uh, on the south coast of Texas.

And, I spent a lot of my life living on islands.

And this little thing called once you've slept on an island ♪♪ The sun climbs up to palm tree through the window and to her face.

Morning air is sweet and warm like a mango, a coffee cake.

Well, I thank my lucky stars.

And I've lost this human race.

If once you've slept on an island.

The moon climbs up the pine tree through the window and to her face knotted pine smells inside the logs in the fireplace.

Hey, I've trained my whole damn life it just to crawl at this pace.

If once you've slept on an island.

You dont have to be sweet in Jamaica and you dont have to be nothing at all.

Just the one room shack with a hammock out back coast to Maine in the fall.

Find that place where the rats dont race the phone it don't ring at all.

If once you slept on an island.

♪♪ The sea breeze blows the curtains through the window to her face.

Sweet salts air smells is fair, it's the flowers in the red clay base.

And hey, it's here.

I've lost my mind and I've gone to a better place.

If once you've slept on an island.

Hey, don't I have to be sweet in Jamaica and you dont have to be nothing at all.

Just a one room shack with a hammock out back coast to Maine in the fall I find that place where the rats dont race the phone it don't ring at all.

If once you've slept on an island, slept on an island, slept on an island.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you.

Thank you guys.

Thank you.

Preciate it.

As I mentioned, I'm uh, definitely grew up my whole life around the ocean and, uh learned to sail.

Had my first sailboat, and I was 19 and sailed a lot of places around the world over the years.

And, um about 20 years ago, I was uh, living in Key West.

And I was also had a little shack on the ocean, on the ocean up in New Hampshire.

And I was feeling like, who's lucky enough to live on two oceans and uh it inspired me to write this song, which got a lot of airplay on Radio Margaritaville 20 years going and very responsible for me to be able to tour around the country at this point.

So this is called Lucky Enough.

♪♪ And I ain't done nothing, and I ain't done much.

But this road weary smile on my face.

My doctor, my lawyer.

Say you're no Tom Sawyer.

And you can't keep on keepin this pace.

As the shadows grow longer.

And the north wind blows stronger.

It's a struggle to sing out my part.

You can't live your life where the luck of the Irish without knowing life brings breaks your heart.

If you're living to love by the ocean here and loving to live by the sea.

Lucky enough to live on blue water.

You're lucky enough by me.

Cold winter when it's a powerful fall.

It'll blow you away from your home.

You'll end up shipwrecked on some bony island.

With a dollar and a old book of poems.

And I knew a lady.

They say she's half crazy singing her songs in the dark.

You can't be a pauper, a poet or a painter without knowing love breaks your heart if you living to love by the ocean.

Hey, you're loving to live by the sea.

Just lucky enough to live on blue water.

You're lucky enough by me.

Lucky by me.

Here.

You're lucky by me.

Just lucky enough to live on blue water.

You're lucky enough by me.

♪♪ Sure to insure a salesman most all of my life selling stories and songs by the case I know, friend, he said if you're not on the edge, you're taking up way too much space.

And I'm taking chances.

And suffer the glances and those fools where the feet on the land I raise my glass.

You can't kiss my eyes I'll lie with my feet in the sand.

If you're living till I'm by the ocean.

Hey, you're loving to live by the sea.

Just lucky enough to live on blue waters.

You're lucky enough by me.

If you're living to love by the ocean.

Hey, you're loving to live by the sea.

Lucky enough to live on blue water.

You're lucky enough by me.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

So great to be here.

I don't think you can come into the great state of Texas without doing a song by a Texan.

I don't know any other state in the United States.

It has a music scene like the state of Texas.

And I know, a lot of countries around the whole nation, Nations don't have a music scene like Texas has so, I just happened to be on the L.A.

Freeway recently, if you know what that experience is like um.

But there's also a great tune written by one of Texas Texas own legends.

Guy Clark and recorded by a Jerry Jeff Walker a few years back as well.

So, Guy Clark.

Tune.

♪♪ Pack up all your dishes make note of all good wishes Say good bye to the landlord for me.

The son of bitches always bored me throw out those L.A.

papers moldy box of vanilla wafers Adios to all this concrete your gonna get me some dirt road Back street.

If I can just get off of this L.A.

freeway without getting killed or caught headed down the road in a cloud of smoke to some land that I aint bought Here's to you, old skinny Dennis.

The only one I think I will miss I can hear that old bass singing sweet and low like the gift youve been bringin Playing for me one more time.

Now you got to give it all you got now I believe everything you're saying.

Just to keep on, keep on playing.

if I could just get off of this L.A.

freeway without getting killed or caught and I'd be down the road in a cloud of smoke.

to some land, I aint bought bought bought If I could just get off this L.A.

freeway without getting killed or caught Id be down the road in a cloud of smoke and some land that I aint bought Put the pink card in the mailbox leave the key in the front door lock them find is likely has nothing but all the things that we have forgot Oh, Susanna, don't you cry, babe love to give that surely hand made I believe everything you're saying.

Just keep on, keep on playing.

If I can just get off of this L.A.

freeway without getting killed or caught Id be down the road in a cloud of smoke.

Just some land I aint bought bought bought If I could just get over this L.A.

freeway without getting killed or caught Id be down the road in a cloud of smoke to some land I ain't bought ♪♪ Pack of all your dishes.

Make note of all good wishes.

Say goodbye to the land Lord for me.

That son of bitches always bored me ♪♪ - Guy Clark.

[Audience Applause] Thank you, thank you.

One of the great songwriters of all time.

Thank you very much.

Well, I moved to Key West in 1988 and um wrote my first batch of songs and two years later found myself recording my first album in Jimmy Buffett's studio, um Shrimp Boat Sound with some of Jimmy's band, one of them being a guy named Peter Mare who played lead guitar for Jimmy for 35 years.

he and I wrote this song um for Jimmy.

It's called The Last Flying Boat in Africa and the Coral Reefer Band recorded it, but it never got put on the album.

And we're not bitter about that at all, and we're still playing it.

So sometimes I exaggerate, Here we go.

♪♪ She was born to glide across the water.

Raised to sail to the sun.

Now she lies on her belly.

In the jungle.

And old Seabird its time is gone.

Well, she's singing the trains of the angel smashed in victoriously.

His lake Wow, she's been to Kalahari.

She's cruised the Greater Island.

She just needs one last Spring.

She was the last flying boat in Africa.

Star of the sky and sea.

She goodbyes.

You can dance.

If she only had a chance.

She's a lot like me.

She's a lot like me.

She's the last Live on the gumbo limbo.

Last flying fish in the sea.

And she's been in hot water.

From Jamaica to Gibraltar to the coast of Ivory.

Well she's singing.

The trains of the ages smashed in victoriously Well, she's been in the Kalahari.

She's cruised the Greater Island She just needs one last spree.

She was the last flying boat in Africa.

Star of the sky and sea she goodbyes.

She could dance if she only had a chance.

She's a lot like me.

She's a lot like me.

♪♪ She was born to glide across the water.

Raise the sail to the sun.

Now she lies on her belly.

In the jungle.

And old seabirds.

Time is gone.

Well, she's seeing the night is almost over Elephants and lions come and go well she dreams of her handsome shadow.

Dancing on the Serengeti floor.

She was the last flying boat in Africa.

Star of the sky and sea.

She goodbye, she could dance If she only had a chance.

She's a lot like me.

She's a lot like me.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Well, I mentioned Jimmy Buffett a few times this evening, and, um he was very kind to me.

In my, time, I lived in Key West, as I mentioned, letting me record, and I open for him a few times along the way, and, uh worked a lot with his band.

And, uh and this is just one of my favorite songs of all time and, um and of course, Jimmy had a big connection to Texas because Jerry Jeff Walker brought Jimmy Buffett to Key West for the first time.

So otherwise this whole thing never would have happened.

But, uh being an ocean person, this is just one of my favorite songs of all time and one of Bob Dylan's favorite songs as well.

♪♪ And one of Laura's favorite songs.

♪♪ In mother, Mother Ocean.

I've heard you call.

Wanting to sail upon your waters.

Since I was three feet tall.

You've seen it all.

Youve seen it all.

And much the many roads you.

You switch from sails to steam.

In your belly you hold the treasures few have ever seen.

Most of them dreams.

Hey, most of the dreams.

And yes, I am a pirate.

200 years too late.

The cannons don't find them.

There's nothin to plunder.

I'm an over 40 victim of fate arriving too late.

Arriving too late.

I've done a bit of smuggling.

I've run my share of grass.

Made enough money to buy my own.

A piston away so fast it ain't never meant to last.

I never meant to lie.

And I have been drunk now for over two weeks past out at a rally And has sprung a few leaks But I've gotta stop wishin and I gotta go fishing down a rock, a bottom again.

Just a few friends.

Hey, just a few friends.

♪♪ I go for younger women live a separate life I ride on the way.

They come back one day.

Still could manage a smile.

It just takes a while.

It just takes a while.

In mother, mother ocean.

After all the years I found occupational hazard baby.

And I get visions just not around.

I feel like I'm drowning.

Gone ahead of time.

I feel like I'm drowning I'm gonna get drunk uptown.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you.

Jimmy Buffett, great song, great song and I'm going to do a brand new song of mine called Vapor Trails.

We released as a single a couple months ago on a Radio Margaritaville and some other stations around the country.

And, uh by the way, all my music is available on Spotify, and, uh I have ten albums out.

You can get all my information on Scottkirby.com, but I got the idea for writing this at, at a memorial service, and I was at a celebration of Jimmy of of its life in Key West.

And his his sister, Lucy was a good friend of mine, um was speaking, and she said, my sister and I have been chasing and Jimmy Buffett's vapor trails for 55 years.

We've never known him to be in the same spot once for more than a week.

And, and I, I looked around that room, all the people he and inspired there and thought you know, he had a wide, uh a wide reach around the world about the, folks he reached with his music.

So, it's called Vapor Trails.

♪♪ In days of a mortal son follows son Lee.

It's a rare bird that soars so high with such speed but even more scarce.

A flying crustacean, mostly that lives instilled desperation.

Song in the sky.

A smile to behold.

Dancing with ease growing young.

And not old the sunrise to sunset.

The flash in our eyes.

Barely time for hellos.

Or time for goodbyes.

You can catch him or match them.

The jet streams fill his sails.

Hurricanes, typhoons and flying through four seven gales.

What a joy to have followed in his vapor trail.

A great leap of faith, he says why not a high flying fish who never got caught.

Bear itchy feet.

They burn in the sun.

The only known cure a band on the run.

Wandering minstrels.

They follow their fashion.

Never grows older.

Or falls out of fashion.

It's a one way ticket on this merry go round.

You haven't lived to.

You spun round and round.

You can catch him or match them The jet streams fill his sails.

Hurricanes, typhoons and flying through four seven gales.

What a joy to have followed in his vapor trail.

Most of us dream on a miniature scale.

Toy wooden ships.

With white paper.

Sails safely between the silver guardrails in their vapor trails.

You can catch him or match them.

The jet streams fill his sails.

Hurricane, typhoons, flying through four seven gales.

What a joy to have followed in his vapor trail.

You can't catch him or match Then the jet streams fill his sail.

Hurricanes, typhoons and flying through four seven gales.

What a joy to have followed in his vapor trail.

♪♪ - Thank you.

[Audience Applause] Thank you very, very much.

Thank you.

Appreciate that.

Well, as I mentioned, I'm on a three month of 41 state road trip.

And, uh I really find that driving across this great country from coast to coast every year really clears my brain and probably saves me several hundred thousand dollars and, and, uh therapy over the course of my musical lifetime.

This is something I wrote a few years back.

This is kind of a road trip breakup song.

I did the research on this myself.

It's a song of optimism.

It's called Driving You Away.

♪♪ So this is the year to chase that sun.

Ain't nothing gets the buzz and heart beating like an uphill run.

Breath by breath.

Little styling grace.

It's the only way up.

When you fall in this fire on your face.

So here I go.

Romancing the road and Alabama, Louisiana, New Mexico.

No looking back.

There ain't nothing to say I got a heavy, heavy load.

And I'm driving you away.

The starless night along very well.

And the company is only this bad.

When youre by yourself mile after mile.

Little time in space.

Then the moon comes out of the desert to show you the way.

So here I go.

Romancing the road.

Arizona, California.

As far as the blacktop goes, no looking back, there ain't nothing the same I got a heavy, heavy load.

And I'm driving you away Smash my rearview mirror.

On the side of the road.

And I threw my home suitcase out the window in San Antone The sunset, tangerine green.

Am I rebirthing now am I howling on the moon in the Pacific Coast Highway.

So here I go.

Romancing the road San Diego to San Francisco to Jackson Home.

No looking back.

There ain't nothing to say I got a heavy, heavy load.

And I'm driving you the way I got a heavy, heavy load.

And I'm driving you away I got a heavy, heavy load.

And I'm driving you away.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

I think I mentioned earlier that my, uh my grandfather, James Kirby, was uh, from Newfoundland.

I'm sure no one in the audience heres been in Newfoundland.

But, um my ancestors came from Ireland, in Newfoundland in 1800.

And, uh they were there for 125 years before moving down to Boston.

And they lived in a little fishing settlement called Blow Me Down.

Believe it or not, I still have the deed to the land.

It sits up there in the rocky coast of Conception Bay watching the icebergs slip by in July.

Um, so this is a little autobiographical tune of my, my family tree, so it's called Blow Me Down.

Kiasu, which is a nickname for Key West, for I ended up landing so.

♪♪ Family following the family.

The fishermen following the fish.

Sailors chasing the setting sun.

Tears of hunger.

These children of the Irish island to island.

And towns at town.

Rocky road on Newfoundland.

To place called blow me down.

Rugged place to call your home.

Snow and ice and granite and stone.

How to plant your family tree in a big gray rock.

With a big green sea.

They prayed for a better way.

Greener pastures and an ice free bay blow me down to Boston town and brand new day.

Hey, blow me down to Massachusetts.

Blow me down to the Chesapeake Bay.

Blow me down to Kai-awaso Kai-awaso well, I think I'll stay.

There's something in our nature that keeps us sailing to the south.

As natural as that fish in your belly and that rum in your mouth.

All the way from the granite and stone.

Clear down to the coral bone.

Every man has to find his way to a place called home.

Hey, blow me down to Massachusetts.

Blow me down to the Chesapeake Bay.

Blow me down to Kai-awaso Kai-awaso well I think I'll stay.

What a morning on the bay.

I'm the luckiest man in the world today.

I hope I get to thank them someday.

Hey, blow me down to Massachusetts.

Blow me down to the Chesapeake Bay.

Hey, blow me down to Kai-awaso Kai-awaso.

Hey, blow me down to Massachusetts.

Blow me down to the Chesapeake Bay.

Hey, blow me down to me so Kai-awaso Kai-awaso Well, I think I'll stay.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you.

♪♪ There is a young cowboy lives on the range.

His horse and his guide, are his only companions.

He works in the side of and sleeps in the canyons, waiting for summer this past year to change.

And as the moon.

Rises, he sits by his fire and thinking about the women and the glasses of beer, closes his eyes as the dog is retired and sings out a song which is soft but is clear, as if maybe someone could hear.

Well, good night, all you moonlight ladies.

Rockabye, sweet baby Jane.

Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose.

Won't you let me go down in my dreams.

Hey, rockabye my sweet baby Jane.

The 1st of December.

Covered with snow.

So was the turnpike.

From the Stockbridge to Boston.

Though the birches seem dreamlike on account of that frost in the ten miles behind me, 10,000 more to go.

There's a song that they sing when they take to the highway.

A song that they sing when they take to the sea.

Song that they sing of their home in the sky.

Maybe you can believe it.

If it helps you to sleep when singing works just fine for me.

Well goodnight all you moonlight ladies.

Rockabye sweet baby Jane.

Deep greens and blues are the colors I choose.

Won't you let me go down in my dreams.

Where Rockabye, my sweet baby Jane.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you.

This is been a great honor for me to of to play here with this fabulous and that was again a big supporter of public television.

Public radio.

And I appreciate you all being here and being supportive with such an amazing cause.

And, um I'm going to do one more tune here.

And, uh I think you can't live in, Key West for 38 years without writing one drinking song, um.

We are in the middle of, Texas, in the land of cowboys, where I think there's a whiskey taking now and then.

I'm guessing, uh, I never drank whiskey till about 15 years ago, and it turned my life around.

Uh, obviously that's a tongue in cheek so anyway.

Thank you again.

Thanks for the audience for being here.

And thanks for thanks for this [Audience Applause] fabulous Basin PBS and uh ♪♪ Used live my life.

So wrong and rum and Ramon, tequila all night long.

Beer batter rotting on the vine.

I was a lone man down with a bad case of wine.

Moving slow.

And that morning flew.

Oh, Lord, what's a man to do?

Well a whiskey turn my life around.

Yes, it has whiskey.

That golden brown I tried quit, quit, quit.

I went to AA one day and ended up in L.A.

Said D R U N K and then a lightning strike alone a beautiful man.

The mayor co-curator came my way.

Well, whiskey turned my life around.

Oh, yes, it has a whiskey.

And that golden brown ♪♪ So sad.

Such a crime.

So much whiskey, so little time.

There ain't nothin so sweet in a whole wide world.

Scotch on the lips of the beautiful girl I'm up real early.

Crack of nine got a bright blue eyes.

Good a gin clear mind.

Look at me, mister moderation, the drinking, my way of the United Nations in Ireland, Scotland and Canada too.

Oh, Lord, what's a man to do?

Well whiskey.

Turned my life around.

Yes, it has where whiskey and that go live round.

Yeah whiskey.

Turn my life around.

Yes it has that whiskey.

That golden brown ♪♪ So sad.

Such a crime.

So much whiskey.

So little time.

Ain't nothin so sweet.

In a whole wide world.

Scotch on the lips of a beautiful girl.

And I've been playing day and night.

Waitin for that whiskey.

Time to bite.

Oh, yeah.

♪♪ [Audience Applause] - Thank you.

♪♪ The sun climbs up the palm tree through the window to her face.

Morning air is sweet and warm like a mango, a coffee cake.

Well, I thank my lucky stars.

[Audience Applause] And Ive lost this human race Once youve slept on an island [Audience Cheering]