Quietly Making Noise 

By: Jimmy Buffett, Michael Tschudin 

1993 

Oscar Wilde died in bed 

Several floors above my head 

Living well beyond his means 

In that crazy Paris scene 

Rain falls down in sheets so clear 

And no one ever calls me hear 

Travelin' by myself these days 

I'm into jazz and felt berets 

Far from that old Eastern shore 

Searchin' for strange metaphors 



I don't want to be another victim of fashion 

No I don't want to see my name in the paper each day 

Hey you can leave that to the young Turks 

They're handsome and dashing 

Posing for paparazzi's down laguna way 



Now down in the metro I feel the world start to multiply 

Bastille, rubber wheels, spiked heels 

Subterranean lullaby 

Met an African prancer, a hemisphere dancer 

Spied the ghost of Brassens 

We smiled at the secret we shared 

And I hit it like contraband 



Quietly making noise (quietly making noise) 

Starts with kindergarten toys 

Not too soft, not too loud 

Just enough to draw a crowd 

Quietly, quietly, quietly making noise 



Followed the beat 

Hey I found myself in this patois spot 

Outside a blizzard was blowin' 

But inside the joint was hot 

Zouk songs, rubber thongs, sing-a-longs 

The words flew right by my face 

You know rhythm and motion's a blamma jamma potion 

You cannot erase 



Quietly making noise (quietly making noise) 

Pissin' off the old kill-joys 

Glasspacks on an hot Mustang 

A telecaster with a twang 

Quietly, quietly, quietly making noise 

Yes 



Singers and writers and poets 

Have flocked here for centuries 

The city of light is built upon mountains of memories 

Baritone saxophones, monotones 

Speak with a voice I've heard before 

It's a lasting impression 

A gypsy expression you cannot ignore 



We're quietly making noise (quietly making noise) 

Starts with kindergarten toys 

Not too soft, not too loud 

Just enough to draw a crowd 

Quietly, quietly, quietly making noise 



Yeah, we're quietly making noise (quietly making noise) 

Pissin' off the old kill-joys 

Not too soft, not too loud 

Just enough to draw a crowd 

We're quietly, quietly, quietly 

Quietly, quietly, quietly 

Quietly, quietly, quietly making noise 

That's right, ooh yeah 

A whole lot of beautiful noise 



--Spoken: 

"Oh come on children, play those, play those kindergarten toys. 

Everybody's a drummer tonight. All right. Let it ring now, let 

it ring."