by Elaine Ernst Schneider
"We talked a bit about Mobile and thought about how it has never changed…," then it was "I-95 down to Pensacola."
Having lived under the flags of Spain, France, Britain, the Confederacy and the United States, both Mobile and Pensacola boast a colorful past centered on their ports. The old shanty tune "Homeward Bound" touches on the heartfelt goodbye of a sailor as he sings, "To Pensacola town we'll bid adieu, to lovely Kate and pretty Sue. Our anchor's weighed and our sails unfurled, we're bound to plough this watery world." Likewise, "Roll, Alabama, Roll" reflects on the Civil War battles of the USS Alabama as the lyrics remind us that "in eighteen-hundred and sixty-one…this ship's building was begun…to fight the North, oh, roll, Alabama, roll."
Today, residents of both bay cities remain loyal to their histories. Jimmy Buffet, a native of the Mobile area, wrote about the relaxed feeling he enjoyed in his home town in his song "Turnabout." Jimmy sings, "We talked a bit about Mobile and thought about how it has never changed." In the George Jones/Merle Haggard rendition of "Mobile Bay," the lyrics express a connection between magnolia blossoms and the past as they meet with a "bearded man in an army coat." Today the USS Alabama of 1945 rests in the Mobile Bay, open to tours, reunions, and other celebrations. Old-timers speak of the years when they were children and contributed their school milk money to the restoration effort that brought the USS Alabama "home" to Mobile. Pensacola's Naval Air Station invites the public to share in naval history unique to the northwest Florida port by tripping through time and space in the National Museum of Naval Aviation. Visitors can get close to the real experience of flying with a flight simulation ride or catch the Blue Angels in top form as they maneuver the famous Diamond Formation in aerobatic precision flight performance. The recent television series Pensacola Wings of Gold is patterned after the United States Navy Air Station in Pensacola.
Water, sand, history, and pride are key elements to both Mobile and Pensacola. From the Banana Docks Café to Giuseppi's Wharf, sandy beaches offer the means for everything from family fun to a romantic night on the town. Cliff Bruner promises to settle down with "Lucille from Mobile" in a "house on the edge of town." It must be the water. After all, sand and memories just seem to go together. In her song "Pensacola," Joan Osborne weaves the story of the man "in Pensacola, in a trailer in the sand, the man from the picture creased and yellowed in (her) hand." Throw in a few clouds and you've got Savoy Brown's "Going Down to Mobile" where he promises to "bide (his) time, thinkin' … staring at the clouds." Soul Coughing reminds us in tongue-in-cheek fashion that "pride is not a sin" in the "Pensacola" song found on the El Oso album.
But suppose you are inclined to sin. Sheryl Crow urges the listener to take a trip on "I-95 down to Pensacola" where she found a "bunch of holy rollers." She must have visited the ongoing revival services at Pensacola's Brownsville Assembly of God. Sheryl's "Maybe Angels" song lyrics go on to say, "I swear they're out there … maybe angels … oh, what a mystery." Mystery or not, people have been trucking into Brownsville to find out for themselves.
Ports of Call, as they were historically dubbed, Pensacola and Mobile are submissive to the comings and goings of a modern generation. Jerry Reed, "Guitar Man," suggests a "trip to the ocean … down around Mobile," but Lost & Found sings lyrics that tell of a disgruntled lover who is "leavin' … not stayin' here and bein' a fool forever." The words of this Lost & Found piece from the Across the Blue Ridge Mountains album express a jilted man's sentiments about love and Mobile as he says to his lover, "I'm leavin' you and Mobile too." Comings and goings--just like the tide.
In both these cities, it's the water that sweeps you in, dancing across your toes on a daytime excursion or sparkling in the moonbeams. Jimmy Buffett knew. "Stars on the Water" from his album Boats, Beaches, Bars & Ballads lets us in on the secret.
"They come from miles aroundPut some mint julep in my tea and save me a spot at the Dew Drop Inn where Jimmy used to hang out … I feel a moonbeam calling me.
To dance the jukebox down.
And dig the good time sounds they all play
And all across the harbor, night lights shinin' in."
It must be the water.
Photo courtesy of Thomas P. Danks
Elaine Ernst Schneider is a freelance writer and music teacher. She has been writing since high school and has published articles, songs, and children's work. Presently, Elaine is a curriculum author for Group Publishing and Managing Editor for www.lessontutor.com.
