Day #40 – Ringling, Ringling
Day #40 – Ringling, Ringling
This song was a result of a summer or two or three that Jimmy spent in Montana in the early seventies. It is a song that has certainly made its mark on Ringling, Montana, and it has made its mark on me as well. I can’t say what kind of mark it has made on Jimmy Buffett or his career, but according to setlist.fm, he has played this song 50 times in live shows, which isn’t to shabby, considering that is more song plays than the current population of Ringling.
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Original post from 10/11/2023
Day #40 – Ringling, Ringling
“And across from the bar there’s a pile of beer cans, Been there twenty-seven years, Imagine all the heart aches and tears in twenty-seven years of beers”.
This quirky little song was born right here in the great state of Montana and was released on Jimmy’s 1974 album called Living And Dying In 3/4 Time. Jimmy didn’t put Ringling on the map of Montana, but he certainly put it on the map of music.
I have already mentioned that Jimmy spent quite a bit of time in Montana in the seventies, wrote several Montana inspired songs, and to this day, has family that resides in the state.
Ringling is quite small, although at one time, it boasted a population of around 1500 residents. It lies just off state highway 89, in Meagher County, between Livingston to the south and White Sulphur Springs to the north. The town was originally called Leader but was renamed for John Ringling of the Ringling Brothers Circus, who owned a home in White Sulphur Springs as well as a significant amount of ranch land in the area.
About twenty years ago, I took a road trip out to the Washington coast to visit family and a dear friend stationed at Fort Lewis, then traveled down the Oregon coast to see Cannon Beach (it’s as beautiful as advertised) swung back to visit more family in Idaho, and while passing through Livingston on the way home, I said “what the hell” and decided to turn north to visit the epic town of Ringling, Montana. All because of Jimmy’s music.
I took pictures of the church, ate a great lunch at the Ringling Bar, had a nice visit with a few locals and bought my Dad a Ringling Bar baseball cap with a camo brim that has remained a favorite of his for years! He has only misplaced it a couple times and Mom always finds it again!
Ringling currently claims a population of 34, with 27 being male and only 7 being female (full disclosure: I’m not sure how accurate these numbers are). Having been to Ringling, I am shocked that the population could be that large and I wonder if some of those resident’s tie to getting mail at the post office.
The railroad carrying electric cars was abandoned in 1980, the church is still standing but the window has been fixed and has become a bit of a tourist attraction, the bar remains a local gathering place in the area, but the pile of beer cans has been picked up. The post office remains to serve the local population, and in Montana, you know if you have a bar and a post office, your town is still kicking!
Please enjoy Ringling, Ringling. It’s quirky and catchy, so beware that it might get stuck in your head. I have included the song link in the comments below.
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As I mention in my original post, Ringling Ringling is a quirky little song about an almost forgotten town in the foothills of the Montana mountains. I cannot say if fame has changed the town that much, except that it has not completely disappeared in the way some towns in Montana (or any place, really) have.
I have been there, and I will go there again. Stop at the bar, have dinner and a drink, maybe take a selfie with the church, and then I will head on down the road, just like in the song lyrics.
And I don’t know if it’s dying, more like Ringling is holding its own!
Stacy
Please enjoy Ringling, Ringling. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
