Misery and Gin Lyrics

Merle Haggard and his "Bar Room Buddies."

The Misery and Gin lyrics was written by John Robert Durrill and Snuff Garrett and became a #3 hit song for Merle Haggard in 1980.  

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 album.   

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

Words alone make this one 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 bar room song ever written?

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.

This song should be in the top 5 of all bar room 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

An all time favorite - That's The Way Love Goes.

Return to Merle Haggard main page.

Return Home from Misery and Gin Lyrics

Enjoy some toe-taping honky tonk classics on these two great DVD's.

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"Mona Lisa" is a mid-tempo ballad about a broken love affair, featuring allusions to the iconic Da Vinci painting.  A beautifully done country classic by Coe at his best.. Read more.  

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The End - Earl Grant

A truly beautiful song with words that reflect the long lasting meaning of love.

"But just tell me you love me and you are only mine...
And our love will go on 'til the end of time."  Read more...