Buffett was only 27 when this song was released, but it's not about him. He wrote it about Phil Clark, one of the more colorful characters he met when he first came to Key West, Florida, in the early '70s. Clark was a modern-day pirate, described in various accounts as a smuggler, a mercenary, a drug runner and an adventurer. Buffett got to know him, and wrote this song based on their conversations. Clark was approaching 40 and wasn't sure his profession would be around much longer.
Phil Clark's bar of choice in Key West was the Full Moon Saloon. When he died (his body washed up on a beach in Sausalito, California), some of his ashes were brought to the saloon, where they stayed above the cash register until it closed in 1993.
This is one of Buffett's most popular and enduring songs, played at all of his full concerts. Many listeners assumed it was about Buffett himself, as he had many swashbuckling tales to tell. It resonates with anyone getting older and wondering if a change is in order.
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