Then up spoke Sam the Shrimper: He said, 'I've been a shrimper all my life. My daddy was a shrimper And my mom's a shrimper's wife. And I'm tired of bein' a shrimper Cuz a shrimper's life's too tame So I'm gonna ride the Conch Train, boys, And be like Jesse James. Gonna be like Jesse James, boy... Gonna be like Jesse James. Case you didn't hear me the first three times... Gonna be like Jesse James.'
Now the Conch Train is a tourist toy That rolls through Key West Town Like some weird ride from Disneyland It drives the tourists round and round While the engineer on her P.A. Points out all the sites 'Well, Tennessee did you-know-what To you-know-who that night.'
'The tourists all have money', said Sam 'Their wives all have rings of gold. Their mopeds all are pawnable. Their cameras can be sold. And think of all the glory, boys, The money and the fame To be the first and only man To rob the Key West Train.'
Now the engineer of the Conch Train Her name was Betsy Wright. She drove the Conch Train all day long And loved Shrimper Sam all night. And with some sweet persuasion, She agreed to join the game: She'd slow it down and flag the lad And let him ride the train.
The conch train made its turn Down the Smathers Pitch When Shrimper Sam with a snorkle eye Leaped naked from the sea. His fillet knife was in his hand. He jumped aboard the train. 'Give up your bucks, you tourist schmucks. I'm Key West Jesse James. I'm Key West Jesse James, boy... Key West Jesse James... Case you didn't hear me the first three times... I'm Key West Jesse James.'
Now unbeknownst to Shrimper Sam In the third car from the rear, Sat Kelso Bolls from Muscle Shoals, An American Legioneer. He was a redneck of respect And a marksman of reknown. From under his fat He drew a Gat, And shot the shrimper down.
Now the first time that he shot poor Sam, Sam groaned and clutched his side. The second time that he shot poor Sam, Sam fell to his knees and cried. And the third time that he shot poor Sam, You could see in both their eyes Lash LaRue and Randolph Scott Beneath the Western skies.
We laid poor Sam upon the sand And we lifted up his head. We listened close to hear the words The dying shrimper said. He said, 'Boys, you know I had my chance But I went and botched the job, But how can a boy named Jesse James Without a train to rob?' Then Kelso Bolls took off his hat And the tears streamed down his face. He said, 'Son, I know just how you feel. This world's a changin' place'. When history is written, Uh... they won't recall our names, But I only got to play Pat Garrett Cuz you played Jesse James.
We buried Sam in the southernmost sands Close by the southernmost waves Where sweet Betsy Wright Cries tears every night Onto his southernmost grave. And on his tombstone say the words 'Stick to your own game. And if you are a shrimper, Do not try to rob a train.'
About the author
About the poet
Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) was an American author, poet, cartoonist, and songwriter who is best known for his children's books, including The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and A Light in the Attic. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, and began drawing cartoons and writing poetry as a child.
After serving in the military during the Korean War, Silverstein began his career as a cartoonist, publishing his work in magazines like Playboy and Sports Illustrated. He also began writing songs, and his compositions were recorded by many popular musicians, including Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show.
Silverstein's first children's book, Uncle Shelby's ABZ Book, was published in 1961, and he went on to write and illustrate many more books for children, as well as books for adults, including The Missing Piece and The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.
Silverstein's work is characterized by its playful, irreverent tone, its emphasis on the joys and challenges of childhood, and its memorable characters and illustrations. His books have sold millions of copies and have been translated into numerous languages.
Silverstein died of a heart attack in 1999 at the age of 68. Despite his relatively short life, his influence on children's literature and popular culture has been significant, and his work continues to be beloved by readers of all ages.
Life of Shel Silverstein
Silverstein "has rejected interviews and promotional tours for some years now... and he even urged his publisher not to give out any biographical information about him," according to Edwin McDowell of the New York Times Book Review (8 Nov 1981). Silverstein was born in Chicago (Illinois) in 1932, is divorced, and has one daughter, according to what is known about him. Apart from what may be gleaned through his writings, the most of what is known about his ideas and thoughts comes from an interview with Jean F. Mercier in Publisher's Weekly on February 24, 1975. With Mercier, Silverstein described the origins of his profession as a child:
"When I was a kid - 12, 14, around there - I would much rather have been a good baseball player or a hit with the girls. But I couldn't play ball, I couldn't dance... So, I started to draw and to write. I was... lucky that I didn't have anyone to copy, be impressed by. I had developed my own style, I was creating before I knew there was a Thurber, a Benchley, a Price and a Steinberg. I never saw their work till I was around 30."
By the time he served in the US armed forces in the 1950s, Silverstein's talents were well-developed. He was a cartoonist for the Pacific edition of the military journal Stars And Stripes while in the service, also he was stationed in Japan and Korea. In 1956, after serving in the military, Silverstein began working as a cartoonist for Playboy.
Uncle Shelby's Story of Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back, published in 1963, was Silverstein's first foray into writing for children. He confided to Mercier:
"I never planned to write or draw for kids. It was Tomi Ungerer, a friend of mine, who insisted... practically dragged me, kicking and screaming, into [editor] Ursula Nordstrom's office. And she convinced me that Tomi was right, I could do children's books."
After the publication of The Giving Tree, however, Silverstein rose to prominence as a children's author. Editor William Cole had rejected the book, believing that it fell between adult and children's literature and would never sell. It was a story about two people, according to Silverstein: one gives and the other takes. The Giving Tree, a narrative about a tree that donates its shade, fruit, branches, and finally its trunk to make a tiny child happy. This book had slow sales at first, but its audience steadily grew. “Many readers saw a religious symbolism in the altruistic tree; ministers preached sermons on The Giving Tree; it was discussed in Sunday schools.” said Richard R. Lingeman in the New York Times Book Review. Ultimately, both adults and children embraced the book. But, as Barbara A. Schram noted in Interracial Books for Children (Vol. 5, No. 5, 1974), feminist critics later saw something else in Silverstein's story: "By choosing the female pronoun for the all-giving tree and the male pronoun for the all-taking boy, it is clear that the author did indeed have a prototypical master / slave relationship in mind... How frightening that little boys and girls who read The Giving Tree will encounter this glorification of female selflessness and male selfishness." Despite this, the book continues to be popular among both children and adults.
Songs written by Shel Silverstein
In the late 1960s Silverstein became also known for being a composer and lyricist of songs, including "A Boy Named Sue" (sung by Johnny Cash, 1969), "One's On The Way", "The Unicorn" (sung by the Irish Rovers), "Boa Constrictor", "So Good To So Bad", "Sylvia's Mother" (sung by Dr. Hook, 1972), "The Great Conch Train Robbery", and "Yes, Mr. Rogers". Albums of original motion picture scores include Ned Kelly.
25 Minutes To Go - Johnny Cash
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
Daddy What If - Bobby Bare
Hey Loretta - Loretta Lynn
I Got Stoned And I Missed It - Shel Silverstein
Marie Laveau - Bobby Bare
My Heart Was The Last One To Know - Kris Kristofferson
One's On The Way - Loretta Lynn
Roland the Roadie and Gertrude the Groupie - Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
Sylvia's Mother - Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
The Ballad Of Lucy Jordan - Marianne Faithfull
The Cover of "Rolling Stone" - Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show
The Mermaid - Shel Silverstein
The Unicorn - The Irish Rovers
In addition to his books that are popular with adult and child readers; Silverstein's poetry collection, A Light In The Attic, continues to sell many copies.
Silverstein illustrates his own books with black-and-white line drawings. Being himself a book collector, he takes the feel and look-the paper, the type, the binding-of his titles very seriously. He does not allow his books to be published in paperback. But this has n't hurt his popularity: Silverstein has millions of copies in print.
Silverstein has focused on writing plays for adults since 1981. The Lady or the Tiger Show (1981), about a television producer who goes to extraordinary lengths, has been presented. Silverstein also worked with writer David Mamet on the screenplay Things Change (1988).
Shel Silverstein Cause of Death
Shel Silverstein died of a heart attack on May 10, 1999 at his home in Key West, Florida. Silverstein died at age 68. He was buried at Westlawn Cemetery in Norridge, Illinois.