#51 – The Great Filling Station Holdup
Day #51 – The Great Filling Station Holdup
This is one of those great songs, a song that ties Jimmy’s humor with his ability to paint a picture, which allows you see the whole story in your mind. Of all the quirky lyrics, I think the TV mentions are my favorite. “We got fifteen dollars and a can of STP, A big old jar of cashew nuts and a Japanese TV” and later “In walked the deputy sheriff, he was holding our TV”. “Our TV”, because they stole it and possession make it theirs? Jimmy’s ability to use wit in his songs is something I appreciate so very much.
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Original post from 10/22/2023
Day #51 – The Great Filling Station Holdup
The Great Filling Station Holdup was released in 1973 on White Sport Coat And A Pink Crustacean. It was the first single released and it reached number 58 on the US Country Chart. The B-side of the single was Why Don’t We Get Drunk… and that forty-five sold more than 50,000 copies to jukeboxes around the country.
This song was inspired by Jimmy reading a newspaper article about recovered property from a holdup, which Jimmy thought was entertaining. According to the Parrothead Handbook, JB claimed that filling station holdups were big crimes in the rural South, and reading about one in particular struck him as quite funny. And then a song was born!
“We got fifteen dollars and a can of STP, A big ole jar of cashew nuts and a Japanese TV, Feelin’ we had pulled the biggest heist of our career, We’re wanted men, We’ll strike again, But first we’ll have a beer”.
From the first time I heard this song, I connected to it. It’s quirky and funny and the lyrics are quite catchy. It might be about making poor choices that lead to prison, but it is somehow strangely uplifting.
Please enjoy The Great Filling Station Holdup. I will include the link in the comments below.
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Jimmy played this song off and on throughout his career in live shows, but most recently he played it live in one of the four concerts he did in Key West in February of 2023. This song was performed at the Key West Theatre, and I am so glad that Jimmy’s family and organization released those concerts for the public to listen to through RadioMargaritaville. Those concerts covered so many of his songs, had slightly different set lists for each of the four shows, and included humorous and heartfelt stories interwoven throughout the shows.
This song has always and will always have a special place in my heart, and I think it had a special place in Jimmy’s heart too.
Stacy
Please enjoy The Great Filling Station Holdup. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
