Misery and Gin Vinyl Memories.

Merle Haggard and his "Bar Room Buddies."


Serving 190 Proof

This Merle Haggard Misery and Gin vinyl memories dates back to 1980 when the John Robert Durrill and Snuff Garrett penned song settled in for a nice ride at #3 on the country music chart.

I originally thought Merle had written these classic old country music lyrics because it seemed to fit his early lifestyle. Misery and Gin was the first single off the album "Back to the Barrooms" and although Merle didn't write this one he did write or co-wrote seven of the eleven songs on this great vinyl record album.

Hard to imagine anyone else singing these lyrics and trying to out do Merle on this tune. He owns this one.


Misery and GinVinyl Memories
Words Alone Make This A Honky-tonk Classic.


Looking at the world through the bottom of a glass
All I see is a man who's fadin' fast.

Man oh man...and then the fourth verse tells you why this is a bar room favorite.

Sit down beside me and say, "It's alright"
"Take me home and make sweet love to me tonight."

After listening to that verse I went for another cold one, put on my headphones and added a couple of notches to the volume control.

My evening with classic honky-tonk was just getting started. The needle made contact with the record and those magical Merle Haggard sounds began to play.  Sounds that can only be appreciated with the warmth of vinyl and the solid gold hidden in those grooves.     

The video below shows the fiddle player smiling after that fourth verse. I think we can all figure out what he was thinking.       


Is This The Best Barroom Song Ever?


45rpm record with Merle and Clint Eastwood from the movie Bronco Billy. Only at vinyl record memories.com

Follow along with the Misery and Gin lyrics. When finished what else can you say...Damn that's a good song...and an even better melody.

Merle may not have written the song, but his whiskey-soaked voice certainly made this classic a bar room favorite, and among my favorite vinyl record memories in my Merle Haggard collection. One of the final hits of Haggard’s brief stint at MCA, no song in his catalog evokes sadness and loneliness as much as this potent number. A rarity in the case that he didn’t write it, but he made this song all his own.

This song should be in the top 5 of all barroom songs ever written, I'd say even #1.  Just my opinion. 

Understand....I didn't say - "best song ever written" just the best bar room song. 

Enjoy...


Misery and Gin Lyrics - #3 song in 1980
Written by John Robert Durrill and Snuff Garrett
Recorded by Merle Haggard

Memories and drinks don't mix too well
And jukebox records don't play those wedding bells

Looking at the world through the bottom of a glass
All I see is a man who's fadin' fast

Tonight I need that woman again
What I'd give for my baby to just walk in

Sit down beside me and say it's alright
Take me home and make sweet love to me tonight

But here I am again...mixing misery and gin
Sittin' with all my friends and....talkin' to myself

I look like I'm havin' a good time....but any fool can tell
That this honky tonk heaven....really makes you feel...like hell.

I light a lonely woman's cigarette
We start talkin' bout what we want to forget

Her life story and mine are the same
We both lost someone....and only have ourselves to blame

But here I am again...mixing misery and gin
Sittin' with all my friends and...talkin' to myself

I look like I'm havin' a good time....but any fool can tell
That this honky tonk heaven....really makes you feel...like hell


You might also like these...

  • Merle Haggard features another great barroom song, "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink," a number-one song from the album, "Back to The Barrooms," filled with songs of bars, booze and the blues. Considered by many to be one of the finest stand alone country albums ever.

    Just Stay Here And Drink | Merle Haggard "Back to The Barrooms"

    Merle Haggard features another great barroom song, "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink," a number-one song from the album, "Back to The Barrooms," filled with songs of bars, booze and the blues. Considered by many to be one of the finest stand alone country albums ever.

  • Mama Tried Lyrics looks back on hard times as Merle Haggard tried to focus on the pain and suffering he caused his mother after being placed in San Quentin prison in 1957. His songwriting always seemed to take you with him and make you feel the hurt he experienced.

    Mama Tried Lyrics | Merle Haggard 1968 Vinyl Record Memories

    Mama Tried Lyrics looks back on hard times as Merle Haggard tried to focus on the pain and suffering he caused his mother after being placed in San Quentin prison in 1957. His songwriting always seemed to take you with him and make you feel the hurt he experienced.

  • Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star was co-written by Merle Haggard with Freddie Powers in 1987 and was the last of his thirty eight number one singles as a solo artist. Haggard wishes upon a star not for riches but for reconciliation with a lover, with a bit of doo-wop influence.

    Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star | Merle Haggard Vinyl Record Memories

    Twinkle Twinkle Lucky Star was co-written by Merle Haggard with Freddie Powers in 1987 and was the last of his thirty eight number one singles as a solo artist. Haggard wishes upon a star not for riches but for reconciliation with a lover, with a bit of doo-wop influence.

  • The Silver Wings Lyrics was written by Merle Haggard based on a plane trip. Romanticizing an airplane’s “silver wings” that took away his lover, Haggard sang so intimately that you wondered if you were eavesdropping.

    Silver Wings Lyrics | Merle Haggard Vinyl Record Memories.

    The Silver Wings Lyrics was written by Merle Haggard based on a plane trip. Romanticizing an airplane’s “silver wings” that took away his lover, Haggard sang so intimately that you wondered if you were eavesdropping.

  • "I Take A Lot of Pride In What I Am" is a fan favorite from the 1970, "Fightin' Side of Me" live album. The introduction says it all. The Houselights blink, then dim. The crowd quiets. Then the intro and the man they've been waiting for. This is Merle Haggard - Live!

    Pride In What I Am | Merle Haggard Vinyl Record Memories

    "I Take A Lot of Pride In What I Am" is a fan favorite from the 1970, "Fightin' Side of Me" live album. The introduction says it all. The Houselights blink, then dim. The crowd quiets. Then the intro and the man they've been waiting for. This is Merle Haggard - Live!

  • When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again, performed by Merle Haggard in 2004 at Texas honky tonk, Billy Bob's. Merle performs 21 songs and the entrance of the talented Janie Fricke singing back-up on this number was a welcome bonus for all.

    When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold | Merle Haggard vinyl record memories

    When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again, performed by Merle Haggard in 2004 at Texas honky tonk, Billy Bob's. Merle performs 21 songs and the entrance of the talented Janie Fricke singing back-up on this number was a welcome bonus for all.

  • That's The Way Love Goes was a #1 song for both Johnny Rodriguez and Merle Haggard, ten years apart. Haggard's version possesses a trace of sadness that somehow becomes uplifting mainly because of his masterful delivery of words and this duet with Jewel is solid gold.

    That's The Way Love Goes Lyrics | Merle Haggard duet with Jewel.

    That's The Way Love Goes was a #1 song for both Johnny Rodriguez and Merle Haggard, ten years apart. Haggard's version possesses a trace of sadness that somehow becomes uplifting mainly because of his masterful delivery of words and this duet with Jewel is solid gold.


Ever thought of having your own website? I built Vinyl Record Memories "from scratch" with SoloBuildIt! Click below to find out more....



Enjoy this page? Share it with your friends!

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Return Home...






Vinyl Record Memories
(VIP Club)

Become a member - FREE to Join.

A Little Bit of Nostalgia in your inbox each month.

FREE  To  Join



You're The Only One.



This song brings back those special vinyl record memories of the summer of '79 when I spent many nights alone with Dolly and she whispered in my ear.

You're the only one...
You're the only one...
Take me back to where
we started from.

And let's make it now
Like we made it then.
This old heart ain't gonna break your heart again. Read more...



"Crazy" 
Best jukebox song ever?


Why did Patsy not like the song when she first heard it.

Give me a old dusty dark bar with Patsy on the jukebox and a cold one at the ready. It just doesn't get any better than that. Read more...



"Dream" - 1944 
Roy Orbison Cover



The song "Dream" reminds us of those glamorous movie stars of the '40s, '50s, and early '60s, a song everyone should have in their music collection. Come Dream with me...



Statue of A Fool


Statue of A Fool cover song by Ricky Van Shelton.

Read this remarkable updated story and listen to this perfect cover of "Statue of A Fool."



Another Place,
Another Time



This 1968 song, a lean number about a backstreet affair, would give new life to Jerry Lee Lewis' flagging career, a new beginning with traditional country music. Read More...



Key Largo
A Love Story


Go to Key Largo song memories. We had it all - Just like Bogie and Bacall.

If there were ever a song with perfect lyrics you just wanted to share with others it would surely be this classic love song, Key Largo.



Baby's Gone


Baby's Gone Story - True Vinyl Record Memories.

Didn't say goodbye, didn't tell me why, just left me here to cry, with nothing but a memory.

Read the true story behind this treasured memory.



Top of Page
Top of Page