Jim Croce's first hit released in 1972 from the album of the same name (The first REAL album I ever bought). It went up to the #8 slot on the pop charts.
Back then this song was all over the place. Jim Croce and Maury Muehleisen were making those acoustic guitar sings on all kinds of TV shows. Totally amazing! They were they reason I pick up a guitar.
So sad to have lost both of them so suddenly.
Lyrics:
Uptown got its hustlers, the Bowery got its bums
42nd Street got big Jim Walker he a pool-shootin' son of a gun
Yeah, he big and dumb as a man can come but he stronger than a country hoss
And when the bad folks all get together at night you know they all call big Jim "Boss", just because
And they say
"You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim"
Now, outta south Alabama came a country boy he said, "I'm lookin' for a man named Jim
I am a pool-shootin' boy, my name is Willie McCoy but down at home they call me Slim
Yeah, I'm lookin' for the king of 42nd Street he drivin' a drop top Cadillac
Last week he took all my money, and it may sound funny, but I come to get my money back"
And everybody say, "Jack, ooh, don't you know
You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim"
Well, a hush fell over the pool room Jimmy come boppin' in off the street
And when the cuttin' was done the only part that wasn't bloody
Was the soles of the big man's feet, woo, yeah, he was cut in 'bout a hundred places
And he was shot in a couple more and you better believe
They sung a different kind of story when big Jim hit the floor, oh
Now they say:
You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Slim
Yeah, big Jim got his hat found out where it's at
It's not hustlin' people strange to you
Even if you do got a two piece custom-made pool cue
Yeah, you don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Slim
@jackstrawvibes
