Jimmy Sparks Lyrics
Jimmy Sparks went into bars and opened up his mouth
Said some things to wounded men that they could not allow
When it came to talking, he was always on the run
Everyone knew what the man had done
Oh, he'll take you for a ride
Jimmy believed in the American way
A prison guard, he worked hard and made the minimum wage
He found his freedom lockin’ men in a cage, oh
Jimmy loved Bonnie and he fathered a kid
A baby boy, but the mother had other reasons to live
She left the baby with a note on the bed, oh
It was a struggle just to cover the rent
His jail cut hours and now his little baby was sick
He needed money and he needed it quick
It was 3 AM
[Chorus]
Oh, my love, oh, my love
Could you spare my blood, spare my blood?
[Verse 2]
Jim woke his son and buckled him in the car
They drove an hour from town and found a gambling hall
The waitress babysat the boy at the bar, oh no
After an hour, Jimmy doubled his cash
He took his kid and his winnings as the dealer just laughed
He said they leave, but then they always come back, that's a fact
Out on the road, they caught a stranger in the lights
His thumb was up and his son asked if the man was alright
Jim said you never give a hitcher a ride 'cause it’s us or them
It was 3 AM
Oh, my love, oh, my love
Could you spare my blood, spare my blood?
[Verse 3]
20 years gone and now the boy is a man
Broke Jimmy's habits, got in mountains and mountains of debt
And now the sharks are coming back to collect, oh-oh
They stripped his jewelry and the boots off Jim's feet
They kick him out of the car and say we'll give you a week
Eight miles from home and only 18 degrees
It was 3 AM
[Chorus]
Oh, my love, oh, my love
Could you spare my blood, spare my blood?
[Verse 4]
Now Jimmy's son is trying to make his way home
His graveyard shift had ended and it was starting to snow
He sees an old man walking barefoot alone
It was 3 AM
His old man waved his hands with tears in his eyes
But Jimmy's son just sped up and remembered daddy's advice
No, you don't ever give a hitcher a ride ’cause it’s us or them
'Cause it’s me or him
It was 3 AM, 3 AM
About
This is the second song from the ‘Jimmy Sparks’ section of III. It tells the story of a single father with a troubled past who, desperate for money, turns to gambling which alienates him from his son, Junior.
This song takes heavily from the Lumineers earlier track “Nightshade” which was released as part of the Game of Thrones inspired album For The Throne. Entire lines are lifted as well as chord progressions. In an interview with The Times, Schultz makes it clear that they weren’t just recycling the song:
When we were asked for a Game of Thrones song last summer, we’d given up on Jimmy Sparks. After months of fiddling with it, we couldn’t make it work, so we switched the chorus, changed some of the lyrics and gave it away. But in doing that, we suddenly saw where we’d gone wrong. We begged for the song back, but the producers refused. Luckily, they didn’t mind if we also used it. We like to think of it as sampling ourselves, but I admit you could call it recycling.
On their website, the song is described as:
Vivid in its imagery and as devastating in its portrayal of an alienated father and son as a short story by Raymond Carver or David Foster Wallace.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
‘Jimmy Sparks’ set us off on a course we hadn’t really intended. I’d written a ton of verses for it, and it just wasn’t working. It was an interesting story, but we wanted there to be a hook; we wanted to find a way to relieve the listener and not just keep pummeling them with verse after verse. The Felice Brothers tell stories really well in their songs, and when Simone heard ‘Jimmy Sparks,’ he said, ‘This is definitely gonna make the record, and here’s how we’re gonna do it.’ At that point it became this interesting puzzle, where we had these clearly defined characters. And when we went backward and looked at the fact that I had some of these themes and characters, I realized we could create a world where they could all live together, that we could create a bigger story—the study of a family.
— Schultz for the Lumineers' website
- 1.Donna
- 3.Gloria
- 7.My Cell
- 8.Jimmy Sparks
- 9.April
- 10.Salt and the Sea
- 13.Soundtrack Song
