You Don't Mess Around with Jim is an album by American singer-songwriter Jim Croce, released in 1972 (See 1972 in music). The title track (Pop #8) and "Time in a Bottle" (Pop #1) are two of his most identifiable songs. The lyrics of the title track concerns the fate of a 'pool-shooting son-of-a-gun' by the name of 'Big' Jim Walker when his 'mark' from a south Alabama Honkytonk shows up to get a refund from being hustled or get revenge. The song is notable for the line "You don't tug on Superman's cape/You don't spit into the wind/You don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger/And you don't mess around with Jim"

Covers

The song "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" was covered by Poison on the album Look What the Cat Dragged In. It has also been covered by Josh Turner on the album "Long Black Train." It has also been covered by singer Donna Fargo on her album entitled "My Second Album." Kid Rock covered Box #10 in 1995 as part of The Bootleg Series. Jesse Malin covered Operator on his 2008 album On Your Sleeve.

Track listing

All songs by Jim Croce

1. "You Don't Mess Around with Jim" – 3:02
2. "Tomorrow's Gonna Be a Brighter Day" – 2:57
3. "New York's Not My Home" – 3:10
4. "Hard Time Losin' Man" – 2:29
5. "Photographs and Memories" – 2:09
6. "Walkin' Back to Georgia" – 2:53
7. "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)" – 3:50
8. "Time in a Bottle" – 2:29 ()
9. "Rapid Roy (The Stock Car Boy)" – 2:46
10. "Box #10" – 2:27
11. "A Long Time Ago" – 2:23
12. "Hey Tomorrow" – 2:47

Personnel

• Jim Croce - guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals, background vocals
• The Briggs - background vocals
• Terry Cashman - vocals, background vocals
• Tommy West - bass, percussion, piano, rhythm guitar, keyboards, electric piano, vocals, background vocals

Production

• Producers: Terry Cashman, Tommy West
• Photography: Paul Wilson

Charts

Billboard Music charts - North America

Album

Year	Chart	Position
1974	Pop Albums	1

Singles

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1972	"You Don't Mess Around with Jim"	Pop Singles	8
1972	"Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)"	Pop Singles	17
1973	"Time in a Bottle"	Pop Singles	1
1973	"Time in a Bottle"	Adult Contemporary	1