The Ballad of Ossie Brown

The 2 Islands that make up Bimini are located about 60 mile east of Ft Lauderdale. If the weather is good almost any sea-worthy boat can cross the Gulf Stream to Alicetown, North Island, in about 2 hours or so. Crystal's dad took their family over quite  often when she was young . I started going over every now and then during the 70's. It's a very small place, and after several trips, you tend to know most of the characters in town. In the middle of the island was a huge Banyan (Ficus) tree in the front courtyard of the Compleat Angler. This was a hotel with 10 or 15 rooms plus a little museum dedicated to Ernest Hemingway, who had frequented Bimini in search of big game fish. The museum had a lot of pictures and fishing equipment of Mr. Hemingway. Out front, under the big tree, was an open air bar. This is where you couldn't help but become acquainted with Ossie Brown, the owner. The Brown Family were long pioneers on the island. Ossie's father had brought electricity to the island and one of his brothers had been electrocuted right after that. The Brown family history is fascinating and can be explored on the web. The murder of Ossie Brown was all-consuming news on the small island for a long time. Having shared drinks several time with Ossie, these words tell the tale from what I remember. SC 2009



IT WAS ON A LITTLE ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF DE SEA
IT WAS DERE OCCURRED A GREAT MYSTERY
THEM WHAT DID IT WAS NEVER FOUND
THEM THAT MURDERED MR OSSIE BROWN

IN BIMINI TOWN, 13 YEARS AGO
THE ANGLER WAS A FAVORITE PLACE TO GO
UNDERNEATH THE TREE IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN
SITTING AT THE BAR WAS MR. OSSIE BROWN

HE GREETED EVERYBODY WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE
ALL THE TOURISTS AND THE LOCALS LIKED TO VISIT HIS PLACE
IT WAS AGREED BY EVERYONE IN ALICE TOWN
THERE WAS NO FINER MAN THAN MR 0SSIE BROWN

HE MANAGE THE PLACE BOTH NIGHT AND DAY
AND WHEN IT GOT DARK THE BAND WOULD PLAY
THE PEOPLE WOULD DANCE TO THE ISLAND SOUND
AND SINGING WITH THE BAND WAS MR. 0SSIE BROWN

IT WAS SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE, WHEN HIS DADDY DID SAY
WE NEED A PLACE WHERE THE PEOPLE CAN STAY
WHEN THEY COME TO THE ISLAND FROM THE USA
TO REMEMBER MR HEMINGWAY, ESPECIALLY MR HEMINGWAY

OSSIE BROWN, OSSIE BROWN
WHO WAS THE PEOPLE THAT CUT YOU DOWN
OSSIE BROWN, OSSIE BROWN
WHO PUT YOU UNDER DE GROUND

NOW, OSSIE HAD A BROTHER NAME OF JULIAN BROWN
THEY SAID HE WAS THE FASTEST MAN IN TOWN
HE RUN TO WORK, HE RUN TO HOME
IN 1960, HE RUN TO ROME

ALL OVER THE ISLANDS EVERY BOY HAD A DREAM
TO WIN THEMSELVES A PLACE ON THE OLYMPIC TEAM
S0 JULIAN WORKED HARD, HE RAN REAL FAST
AND HIS DREAM WAS FINALLY IN HIS GRASP

WELL, HE WENT TO ROME, BUT HE DIDN'T COMPETE
HE DIDN'T GET TO WIN OR EVEN GET BEAT
BUT ALL IN ALL IT WAS JUST AS WELL
FOR THE WINNER WAS PETER SNELL

HE HAD A LOT OF STORIES WHEN HE GOT BACK HOME
ABOUT THE PEOPLE HE MET ON HIS ADVENTURE IN ROME
IN TIME IT ALL FADED AND TO STAY AFLOAT
HE BOUGHT HIMSELF A LOBSTER BOAT

NOW, A LOBSTER MAN CAN DO OK
IF HE WORKS REAL HARD EACH AND EVERY DAY
REMEMBER JULIAN WAS A RUNNER DOWN IN HIS SOUL
AND WORKING EVERY DAY SOON TOOK ITS TOLL

THE BOAT WAS TOO SLOW AND THE BUGS WERE TOO FAST
 JULIAN KNEW THIS LIFE JUST WOULDN'T LAST
S0 HE TRADER IN HIS SKIFF FOR A CIGARETTE
AND STEERED IT WHERE THE SUN DOES SET

WELL HE DROVE THAT BOAT UP AND DOWN THE STREAM
FOR SEVERAL YEARS HE WAS CHASIN HIS DREAM
AND MAKING LOTS OF MONEY ANYWAY THAT HE COULD
HE NEVER QUITE UNDERSTOOD

THAT CATCHING AND SELLING THE LOBSTER BUGS
WAS A WHOLE LOT SAFER THAN RUNNING DE DRUGS
OR SMUGGLING THEM PEOPLE TO THE USA
SOME DAY YOU KNOW YOU GOTTA PAY

WELL, THEY BUSTED MR JULIAN FOR RUNNING COCAINE
AND HAULING DEM CUBANS TO THE REFUGEE PLANE
SEVEN YEARS AT EGLIN, AN AIR FORCE BASE
HE'S RUNNING AT A SLOWER PACE

HE DID HIS TIME, GOT OUT AND LOOKED AROUND
DECIDED TO GO BACK TO ALICE TOWN
HIS BROTHERS WERE THERE , MR OSSIE AND SPENCE
TIME TO HOP BACK OVER THE FENCE

A FEW YEARS LATER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
SOMEONE WAS KILLED IN A TERRIBLE FIGHT
NO ONE HEARD THE AWFUL SOUNDS
THAT MARKED THE END OF OSSIE BROWN

OSSIE BROWN, OSSIE BROWN
WHO WAS THE PEOPLE THAT CUT YOU DOWN
OSSIE BROWN, OSSIE BROWN
WHO PUT YOU UNDER THE GROUND

HE WAS BEAT AROUND THE HEAD WITH A BIG LEAD PIPE
OH, THE PEOPLE SAY IT WAS A TERRIBLE SIGHT
ONE QUESTION WAS ASKED WHEN HE WAS FOUND
DID THE BAD GUYS KILL THE WRONG MR BROWN

YOU SEE, BIMINI ISLAND IS ONLY SEVEN MILE LONG
AND ITS NOT AS WIDE AS A VERSE OF THIS SONG
IF YOU STAND IN THE MIDDLE THEN YOU CAN SEE
FROM SEA TO THE SHINING SEA

NOT THAT MANY PEOPLE CALL THE ISLAND HOME
NOT THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE INCLINED TO ROAM
ON AN ISLAND THAT SMALL AS YOU MIGHT GUESS
EVERYBODY KNOWS EVERY ONE'S BUSINESS

WHO, OH, WHO WOULD KILL OSSIE BROWN
WHY WOULD SOMEONE COME TO OUR LITTLE TOWN
TO CAUSE US THIS COMMOTION, TO CAUSE THIS FUSS
HMM, MAYBE IT WAS ONE OF US

IF IT WAS A STRANGER, HOW DID HE FLEE
DID HE ESCAPE BY BOAT ON THE MIDNIGHT SEA
DID HE FLY AWAY ON THE CHALKS AIRLINE
OR IS HE HERE JUST KILLING TIME

ITS BEEN MANY A YEAR SINCE THIS SAD AFFAIR
AND STILL THE BLAME HAS BEEN PLACED NOWHERE
SURELY CLUES WERE FOUND, SURELY WORDS WERE HEARD
BUT NOBODY SAYS A WORD

NOT MANY MONTHS AGO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
A FIRE WAS SPOTTED BURNING, BURNING VERY BRIGHT
IT WAS THE ANGLER BURNING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOWN
THEY COULDN'T SAVE IT, IT BURNT DOWN TO THE GROUND

WHEN THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED, WITH THE RISING OF THE SUN
PEOPLE STARTED ASKING, ARE WE MISSING ANYONE
IN THE ASHES IS A BODY THAT WE HAVE JUST NOW FOUND
DEAR GOD, IT MUST BE JULIAN BROWN

AFTER OSSIE BROWN WAS MURDERED, JULIAN BOUGHT THE PLACE
TO KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY, THAT SEEMS TO BE THE CASE
HE TRIED HIS BEST TO SAVE IT, WHEN THE FIRE BEGAN TO RAGE
NOW HIS RUNNING DAYS ARE OVER, THE BROWNS HAVE LEFT THE STAGE