Jimmy Webb

Released: September 7, 1993

Songwriter: Jimmy Webb

Producer: Linda Ronstadt George Massenburg

Out by Sandy Cove
I thought about my life
A lot about my children
And a lot about my wife
About my Mom's old accordion
And all the other things I've lost
Like grandpa's ship in a bottle
And I wondered what it would cost
'Cause I would pay a sultan's ransom
If only I could place
The ship back in the bottle
Or see my mother's face

Out by Sandy Cove
Starting on a song
I knew I'd never finish
'Cause nobody lives that long
So many things unfinished
Before they are begun
Like grandpa's ship in a bottle
He'll sail out to oblivion
And where does all the love we lose go?
It seems like such a crime
It's like grandpa's ship in a bottle
It disappears in time

If I could do it over
There'd be some changes made
I'd paint with brighter colors
And I'd stay out of the shade
I'd make everybody happy
With the lessons I have learned
I might not have found the joy in life
But I'd leave no stone unturned
I'd leave no stone unturned

Out by Sandy Cove
Just a mile beyond the strand
There stands an ancient tower
On a rocky point of land
And I feel just like that tower
Like nothing lives inside of me
And I don't know why I'm empty
Or why I'm standing by this sea
But I got cracks in all my mortar
I got holes in all my bricks
And it's like grandpa's ship in a bottle
It's something I can't fix
With all my fancy tricks
It's something I can't fix

Jimmy Webb (also known by the names James Layne Webb, Jim Webb and J. Webb) was born on the 15th of August, 1946. He has written and produced countless platinum-selling hits such as “Highwayman”, “MacArthur Park”, “Galveston”, “Wichita Lineman”, “Up, Up and Away,” the recently popular “Do What You Gotta Do” (made famous from being sampled in a Kanye West song), and many more. Ever since his first released song “My Christmas Tree”, Jimmy Webb has received much professional attention and many awards for his compositions. During his career, he became the youngest person ever to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame (which he was chairman of for a number of years), and is the only musician to receive Grammy awards for music, lyrics and orchestration.

In addition to his songwriting career, Webb has also composed film soundtracks for “The Last Unicorn”, “Voices” and “The Naked Ape”. Along with this, he has penned the main themes and soundtrack scores for television shows, including “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” and “E/R”.

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