“Drinking and Jail”

  

c. 2026 Rod Ice

All rights reserved

(7-26)

 

 

My wife used to nag

About sipping from a brown bag

She wanted a happier refrain

But that wink and a smile

Didn’t move me a mile

It was better to sing about pain

You see the working life

Is a wrist-roll of the dice

You never know what will come to pass

But one thing stays true

When it’s quitting time for the crew

Everybody loves ‘There Stands the Glass’

 

Fights, drinking and jail

With a galvanized pail

Full of liquor, and lemonade

A happy home ain’t real

Hard times, they appeal

When a bartender’s bargain is made

 

That girl told me straight

I’d have an empty dinner plate

Because my attitude drove her away

But I just couldn’t change

What Hank Williams arranged

He only had one thing to say

Dancing to and fro

Like David Allan Coe

On a bender that lasted all week

That’s the life I have led

And it’s an ache in my head

But that’s a trophy I’m bound to keep

 

Fights, drinking and jail

With a galvanized pail

Full of liquor, and lemonade

A happy home ain’t real

Hard times, they appeal

When a bartender’s bargain is made

 

Now if you might agree

With my loving wifey

Go and find yourself a sunnier square

Play the role of a joker

With a trick-try at poker

And see how long you can linger there

I’m an old piece of leather

My hide is tanned forever

There’s no chance of me being reclaimed

So I’ll get drunk and swing fists

Maybe even steal a kiss

When a pretty woman calls my name

 

Fights, drinking and jail

With a galvanized pail

Full of liquor, and lemonade

A happy home ain’t real

Hard times, they appeal

When a bartender’s bargain is made

 

When they lay me to rest

There might not be any guests

To stand up proudly on my behalf

But I won’t shed a tear

In my whiskey and beer

Thinking about that final collapse

It’s been destined for years

I’m a man in arrears

Owing debts that I’ll never repay

But with Waylon and Willie

And that Dolly Parton filly

I’ll be fine, singing in my grave

Fights, drinking and jail

With a galvanized pail

Full of liquor, and lemonade

A happy home ain’t real

Hard times, they appeal

When a bartender’s bargain is made