Coconut Telegraph By: Jimmy Buffett

Coconut Telegraph
By: Jimmy Buffett

Tuesday[d1] on the island
Not much goin' on
The parties[d2] are all over
They ended just past dawn

The jungle[d3] drums are beating
With the tales[d4] from late last night
'Cause stories [d5]bear repeating
For everyone's delight

Chorus:
You can hear[d6] 'em on the coconut[d7] telegraph (telegraph)
Can't keep nothin' under their hat
You can hear 'em on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
Sayin' who did dis and dat
Dis and dat, Dis and dat

Now I'm not one to deal in gossip[d8]
But[d9] was he that big a fool
To do a belly-buster high dive
And miss the entire pool[d10]

And what became of sweet Melissa[d11]
And the boy nobody knew
Did Ricardo ever find her
I[d12] swear it's just between me and you

Chorus:
But you can hear it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
By now everybody knows
You can hear it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
Just who comes and goes
Comes and goes, comes and goes

La, la la la, la la la
La, la la la, la la la
La, la la la, (la la la la la la la)
La, la la la, (la la la la la la oooooh)
Ah!

It's hump[d13] day on the island
The lines have all gone dead
All the juicy news is history
I guess everything's been said

But when[d14] the eagle flies on Friday
And the boys break out the rum
And the joint begins to jumpin'
And you'll hear those hot lines hum

Chorus:
Ah, put[d15] it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
All the celebration and the stress
Baby put it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
In twenty-five words or less

I want to hear it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
All the celebration and the stress
Baby put it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
In twenty-five words or less
Dis and dat, Comes and goes
Dis and dat, Comes and goes

Coconut Telegraph
By: Jimmy Buffett

Tuesday[d16] on the island
Not much goin' on
The parties[d17] are all over
They ended just past dawn

The jungle[d18] drums are beating
With the tales[d19] from late last night
'Cause stories[d20] bear repeating
For everyone's delight

Chorus:
You can hear[d21] 'em on the coconut[d22] telegraph (telegraph)
Can't[d23] keep nothin' under their hat
You can hear 'em on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
Sayin[d24]' who did dis and dat
Dis and dat, Dis and dat

Now[d25] I'm not one to deal in gossip
But was he that big a fool
To do a belly-buster high dive[d26]
And miss the entire pool

And what became of sweet[d27]Melissa[d28]
And the boy nobody knew
Did Ricardo ever find her
I[d29] swear it's just between me and you

Chorus:
But you can hear it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
By[d30] now everybody knows
You can hear it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
Just[d31] who comes and goes
Comes and goes, comes and goes

La, la la la, la la la
La, la la la, la la la
La, la la la, (la la la la la la la)
La, la la la, (la la la la la la oooooh)
Ah!

It's hump[d32] day on the island
The lines have all gone dead [d33]
All the[d34] juicy news is history[d35]
I guess everything's been said

But when[d36]the[d37] eagle flies on Friday[d38]
And the boys break out the rum
And the joint begins to jumpin[d39]'
And you'll hear those hot lines hum[d40]

Chorus:
Ah, put[d41] it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
All the celebration and the stress
Baby put it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
In twenty-five words or less

I want to hear it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
All the celebration and the stress
Baby put it on the coconut telegraph (telegraph)
In twenty-five words or less
Dis and dat, Comes and goes
Dis and dat, Comes and goes

Thematic statement: Be careful what you do because gossip spreads easily on a small island.

• Prove motif
• Prove events/outcomes
• Prove lesson learned (consider how setting would affect the gossip)

[d1]Setting: where/when

[d2]event

[d3]Implies setting implies warm locale

[d4]gossip

[d5]gossip

[d6]listening

[d7]Implies tropical setting

[d8]motif

[d9]irony: says one thing but does the oppos.

[d10]outcome

[d11]outcome/ irony not really sweet

[d12]irony: adding to the gossip

[d13]Idiom/metaphor for Wed.

[d14]Mentions Friday—hasn’t happened

[d15]You post it

[d16]Day of week; location (setting) Why so specific?

[d17]event

[d18]jungle= hot areas

[d19]outcome/gossip motif

[d20]outcome/gossip motif

[d21]action: ppl listening (one way to get gossip)

[d22]found in tropics (Hot area)

[d23]idiom—can’t keep secrets (gossip motif)

[d24]gossip

[d25]Irony: says one thing, means another/gossip

[d26]Outcome--gossip

[d27]Irony—she cheats

[d28]Outcome--gossip

[d29]Irony b/c it will probably be shared, spread (gossip)

[d30]Outcome—gossip has spread

[d31]gossip

[d32]shift in time; refers to Wed. (metaphor)

[d33]personification: means gossip on the telegraph is dying down (outcome)

[d34]metaphor, news is interesting (juicy)

[d35](outcome) history=past, means everyone’s stopped gossiping

[d36]Looking ahead to future; how is he able to predict ? (probably happened before—cycle)

[d37]Metaphor/symbol=freedom from work

[d38]Shift in time;

[d39]Parties start

[d40]Personification b/c telegraph lines are busy w/gossip

[d41]New action, suggests ppl can also