3 Country Songs That Will Make You Stick Around Until Last Call

These three country songs will make you run up a tab at your local honky-tonk. They infuse just the right energy into a night that keeps you going, whether it’s fuelling heartbreak or happiness. The three songs below are all about nursing wounds.

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“The Bottle Let Me Down” — Merle Haggard

“Each night I leave the bar room when it’s over / Not feeling any pain at closing time / But tonight / your memory found me much too sober / Couldn’t drink enough to keep you off my mind,” Merle Haggard sings in “The Bottle Let Me Down”. This is a familiar feeling for many country fans. Walk into any honky-tonk, and you’re bound to find a few hearts broken.

When this country song comes over the speakers, you’ll instantly feel the tinge of pain that you might’ve been pushing down. You’ll order another shot of whiskey and settle in for the long haul.

“Drinkin’ Problem”  — Midland

Midland’s “Drinkin’ Problem” follows a similar theme. “It’s a broken-hearted thinkin’ problem / So pull that bottle off the wall / People say I got a drinkin’ problem / But I got no problem drinkin’ at all,” the lyrics read. This mid-tempo song throws things back to country’s golden age with twangy guitars and pedal steel. Whether you want to hit the dance floor or sit in a corner ruminating, this song is a honky tonk staple.

Last call will be no trouble at all, with this song at your disposal. “They keep on talkin’ / Drawing conclusions / They call a problem, I call a solution,” the lyrics continue, creating the spiritual successor to “Margaritaville”. Instead of sea breezes and lapping waves being the escape, this song evokes images of sticky bar floors and neon lights.

“Last Call” — Lee Ann Womack

“They’re probably closing down / Saying, ‘No more alcohol’ / I bet you’re in a bar / ‘Cause I’m always your last call,” the lyrics read. This song captures the opposite side of this exchange. The first two songs see men heartbroken in a bar. This Lee Ann Womack track sees the effects of their yearning.

“I don’t need to check that message / I know what it says / ‘Baby, I still love you’ / Don’t mean nothing when there’s whiskey on your breath,” she adds, pushing back at the notion that a conversation had after last call holds any weight at all.

(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

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