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.
Misery and Gin Lyrics.
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 Barroom 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, 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 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
Songs that will make you cry.
"Tear Time" takes you through a feminine emotional experience and will touch your heart with the lyrics, "All it takes is the smallest thought of you ... Then tear time starts crying all night through." Read more ...
Storms Never Last
A Love Story
Storms Never Last, a song about passing through the hardships of marriage, and knowing their love for one another will endure. A final duet with Jessi Colter and husband, Waylon Jennings. Read more...
An all time favorite - That's The Way Love Goes.
Return to Merle Haggard main page.
Return Home from Misery and Gin Lyrics
FTC Disclosure: If you make a purchase via a link on this site, I may receive a small commission on the transaction - at no additional cost to you. Thank you!
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?
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. Learn more...
Statue of A Fool
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
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
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.