You Don’t Mess Around With Jim Josh Turner

"You Don’t Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce, released in 1972, is a #FolkRock song that tells the story of a tough character named Jim who commands respect and warns against crossing him. Themes of pride, toughness, and consequences are central. The song's catchy melody and storytelling style have made it a classic, influencing future artists.

[Verse 1]
Uptowns got it hustlers
The bowery's got its bums
42nd street got big Jim walker
He's a pool shooting son of a gun
Yeah he's big and dumb as a man can come
But he's stronger than a country hoss
And when the bad folks all get together at night
You know they all call big Jim boss

[Chorus]
And they say
You don't tug on superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask of the all alone ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim

[Verse 2]
Well outta south alabama come a country boy
He said I'm looking for a man named Jim
I am a pool shooting boy
My name is Willie McCoy
But down home they call me slim
Yeah I'm looking for the king of forty second street
He driving a drop top Cadillac
And last week he took all my money
And it may sound funny
But I come to get my money back

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