Day #39 – False Echoes (Havana 1921)
Day #39 – False Echoes (Havana 1921)
False Echoes led me to think about stories and memories, and both are funny things. If told a story, we can all hear different parts of it more clearly than others, or not at all. Time and memory and attention can alter these details, until the story changes and changes some more. I want to take a small look into the song lyrics and a couple ships that might tie to this song.
In this song, Jimmy sings of a ship called the Chicamauga, and in the song lyrics, we get the image of a beautiful steam ship that spent time in Havana harbor, at least once, and ended her days on the bottom of Mobile Bay. A ship that Jimmy’s grandfather captained at one point in his sailing career.
In reality, the ship that Jimmy’s grandfather might have captained was probably called the Chiquimula. I found an interesting article from Mobile Bay Magazine from 2017 that gives some history to this ship. The article claims that Jimmy’s grandfather captained this ship from 1924-1927. The ship ended up under new ownership during WWII, a hurricane damaged her masts while in the bay, and then, by accident or on purpose (the article is unclear), the ship was set fire to the water line in Mobile Bay and sunk into the bay. That ship was a schooner that traveled in the Gulf of Mexico and before that along the west coast of the United States. I will leave the link to the article for anyone interested to look into, but I am neither attempting to argue or dispute the song lyrics or any of Jimmy’s stories, I just found the story interesting. The Chiquimula (mobilebaymag.com)
There was a ship that bore the name Chickamauga and served in the American Civil War. A few details on her are that the CSS (Confederate States Ship) Chickamauga was built in London in 1863 and originally called the Edith, before being purchased by the Confederate States in 1964, renamed and used as a commerce raider along the eastern coast. She, and other ships like herself, took multiple non-military commerce and trade ships that were privately owned but carried goods to the northern states. She saw action from 1864 to 1865, where she became trapped on the Cape Fear river of North Carolina, where she was subsequently burned to keep her from falling into northern hands.
No matter what echoes led me to look into information on these ships, I find it interesting that both ended up set fire to and sunk into the waters of a bay, just beyond the reach of the ocean waters they once traversed. As a girl who likes history, big details, or small whispers, I am grateful for the knowledge that I gained.
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Original post from 10/10/2023
Day #39 – False Echoes (Havana 1921)
False Echoes (Havana 1921) was released on JB’s 1996 album called Banana Wind, and it’s a touchingly beautiful song.
Sometimes I take it personally when people think of Jimmy Buffett as an entertainer who is nothing but a beach bum with a margarita who lost his flip flop and found a cheeseburger in paradise while waiting for a volcano to blow! While Jimmy does have fun songs like that, he also has deeply personal songs with stories that touch at the deepest parts of humanity.
Especially when it comes to his family. I have shared songs Jimmy wrote about his wife and children, and his beloved grandfather, but I now want to share a song Jimmy wrote for his father JD.
James Delaney Buffett Jr (known as JD so as not to be confused with his father) was the oldest of four children, and since JD’s father was a sea captain often gone on long voyages, JD grew up fast by stepping up as the surrogate father of sorts to his siblings. He went to work at a young age and worked hard and was known as a taskmaster. But he also had a little “take a different road” in him, much as his son Jimmy did.
When WWII came around, JD didn’t join the Navy like his father and brother Billy, he joined the Army Air Corps because he loved to fly as much as he loved to sail, and was quite a gifted mechanic, although after his time in the military, he returned to work by the sea. In later years, he and Jimmy connected over their love of planes and flying.
My Dad has been listening to a little more of Jimmy’s music in the last month, and yesterday he asked me what this song was about, and what in history happened in Havana in 1921? So, with a little midnight research, here we go…
One of the families’ legendary stories was how James Delaney Buffett Sr, captain of a barkentine called the Chicamauga, raised all his flags in Havana harbor, celebrating his son’s birthday. When other ships in the harbor realized what was going on, they too raised their flags to celebrate the event as well. What a beautiful tribute from a father to his son!
Of course, life isn’t a fairytale. In 1995, JD was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and his memory began to fade, but he and Jimmy shared stories to keep those memories alive. The next year, Jimmy wrote this beautiful song to honor his father, and memories that sometimes fade.
I hope you enjoy False Echoes (Havana1921)! I have included the link in the comments below. It also holds a hidden track called Tree Top Flyer, a song written by Stephan Stills, and in my heart, I believe Jimmy picked it to honor his father’s love of flying.
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Since I have started this musical tribute to Jimmy and his music, my Dad has listened to every song I have posted, and a few more as well, and the two songs that he cannot get out of his head, that have struck some connection with his soul, are A Pirate Looks At Forty and False Echoes. Both are great songs to have stuck in your head!
Stacy
Please enjoy False Echoes. I have included the link below. Enjoy!
The link is from Jimmy’s official YouTube channel, which I have no personal affiliation with.
