Jim Croce

Songtekst

Uptown got it's hustlers
The bowry's got it's bums
42nd Street got Big Jim Walker
He's 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

Well outta south Alabama come a country boy
He say I'm lookin' for a man named Jim
I am a pool-shootin' boy
By name 'a Willie McCoy
But down 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 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, ooh
And he was cut in about a hundred places
And he were shot in a couple more
And you better believe
There come another kind of story
When big Jim hit the floor 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
Find out where it's at
And 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 the old Lone Ranger
And you don't mess around with Slim

Songinformatie

The song was Croce's debut single when it was released in July 1972. It reached a peak of 8 on the Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics tell story of "Big Jim Walker", a pool hustler who is not too bright but is very strong and respected because of his tough reputation and his skill at pool. A man named Willie McCoy who is also a pool player comes to the pool hall to get his money back from Big Jim after being hustled out of it the previous week. Willie McCoy is known as "Slim" back in his hometown in south Alabama. Big Jim comes into the pool room and is shot and killed by Willie McCoy. McCoy gets his money back and the regulars at the pool hall now have different advice as Willie McCoy now has all of the respect: "You don't mess around with Slim".

Artiest	Jim Croce
	A-kant
Titel	You Don't Mess Around With Jim
Lengte	3:00
Componist(en)	Jim Croce
Producer(s)	Terry Cashman, Tommy West
	B-kant
Titel	Photographs And Memories
Lengte	2:03
Componist(en)	Jim Croce
Producer(s)	Terry Cashman, Tommy West
Platenlabel	Vertigo
Catalogusnr	6073 250
Album	You Don't Mess Around With Jim