Day #4 – In The Shelter

Day #4 – In The Shelter

In The Shelter is one of those songs that grabbed me slow-like and reeled me in over the years. For the last decade of my life, I would consider that is probably in my top five of my favorite songs of Jimmy’s. There is just something about it. The imagery, the sadness, the way it seems to touch my soul in some way I can’t really explain.

I honestly feel like I said most everything I want to say in my original post, which I have included below.

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-Original post from 9/5/2023-

Day #4 – In The Shelter

Not all of JB’s music is up tempo and fun, some of it is soft and poignant and sad, and that’s this song. I have always loved it.

Before Jimmy headed south to the Keys, he cut two albums in Nashville, more of a country and folk vibe in these early years. His first album didn’t sell great but he still recorded the second one and it was titled High Cumberland Jubilee and it had a couple gems on it, one of which is In The Shelter.

Interestingly, when it came time to publish the second record, his publisher told him the masters to all the songs had been lost. JB was not happy and probably didn’t believe that story but it did finalize that two-record contract. Anyway, I believe it was his catalyst to leave Nashville and he ended up in Key West… thank God!

In the Keys, with a new vibe and influences, the gulf coast and beach sound Jimmy was known for blossomed. After several successful records, including the hit single Margaritaville, suddenly that old Nashville record suddenly was “found” and published by that earlier record company, trying to make some moolah. Jimmy had retained all the rights to those songs, so it didn’t hurt him at all to have it released.

Jimmy referred to it as “the lost album” and he joked about it often. He didn’t just have “lost” shakers of salt or flip flops or “lost” verses to Margaritaville.

Jimmy re-recorded it for the album Changes (which is the most common version, with one slight lyric change), and often played it live.

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I truly cannot imagine if this song and the record it was on had not have become “un-lost”. Would Jimmy have ever recut it and shared it with the world? I certainly hope so, but I guess there is no answer way to that. Anyway, what matters is this touching and sadly beautiful song made it into the world, and into the soundtrack of my life.

Stacy

Please enjoy In The Shelter. I have included the link below. Enjoy!

The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.