Jim Croce

You Don't Mess Around With Jim

Jim Croce


Tom: E

E 
Uptown got it's hustlers 
 
The bowery got it's bums 
 
42nd Street got Big Jim Walker 
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He's a pool-shootin' son of a gun 
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Yeah, he big and dumb as a man can come 
 
But he stronger than a country hoss 
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And when the bad folks all get together at night 
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You know they all call big Jim "Boss", just because  
 
And they say 
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You don't tug on Superman's cape 
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You don't spit into the wind 
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You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger 
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And you don't mess around with Jim 
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Do da do da da di di de de de di 
 
E       
Well outta south Alabama came a country boy 
 
He say I'm lookin' for a man named Jim 
 
I am a pool-shootin' boy 
 
My name Willie McCoy 
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But down home they call me Slim 
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Yeah I'm lookin' for the king of 42nd Street 
 
He drivin' a drop top Cadillac 
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Last week he took all my money 
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And it may sound funny 
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But I come to get my money back 
              
And everybody say Jack don't you know 
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And you don't tug on Superman's cape 
          A7            E7 
You don't spit into the wind 
          A7 
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger 
        B7                     E 
And you don't mess around with Jim 
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Do da do da da di di de de de di 
E 
Well a hush fell over the pool room 
 
Jimmy come boppin' in off the street 
 
And when the cuttin' were done 
 
The only part that wasn't bloody 
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Was the soles of the big man's feet 
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Yeah he were cut in in bout a hundred places 
 
And he were shot in a couple more 
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And you better believe 
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They sung a different kind of story 
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When big Jim hit the floor now they say 
          A7                E7 
You don't tug on Superman's cape 
          A7            E7 
You don't spit into the wind 
          A7 
You don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger 
        B7                     E 
And you don't mess around with Slim 
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mm mn mn mn mn mn mn mn  
 
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 
               A7                E7 
Yeah you don't tug on Superman's cape 
          A7            E7 
You don't spit into the wind 
          A7 
You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger 
        B7                     E 
And you don't mess around with Slim