WHO WROTE THE FIRST DRINKING SONG?
No one knows who gets this honor. Fact is, drinking songs have been around for as long
as people have been getting drunk... and that goes back a long time! Just think of the fun "sing-a-longs" that were sung
by the Romans as they drank wine and enjoyed their early versions of "lap dancing". So okay we don't know who wrote
the first drinking song. However we do know who deserves credit for writing the tune to probably the most important
drinking song (is that an oxymoron?). He is none other than John Stafford Smith who wrote the English drinking
song, "To Anacreon In Heaven". Later, when lawyer/poet, Francis Scott Key, wrote the poem "The Star-Spangled
Banner", Smith's tune was used to put the poem to music. Can you imagine what that Smith family would be making per
year if they were to receive a royalty check every time "The Star-Spangled Banner" was played?
Drinking songs have definitely evolved since John Stafford Smith's days for sure...
and so have the royalty checks. Here is a listing of the 3 most recognized (worldwide) drinking songs today.
THREE DRINKING SONGS RECOGNIZED WORLDWIDE...
1. Friends In Low Places... Some
guy, by the name of Garth Brooks, wrote and recorded this down and out country blues drinking song. What I like best
about the song is that it actually celebrates the fact of being "down and out". The gist of this song is: hey,
I'd rather be a easy going dude with nothin' than be around a bunch of pompus jerks hanging out at some stuffy "country club".
And lets face it, when Garth wrote the chorus to this song it became an instant "must sing along to". So here goes...
(Caution: This tune will stay in your head for the rest of the day.)
Cause I've got friends in low
places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places
2. Yo Ho, A Pirates Life For Me...
Okay, you're a stinkin', dirty, rotten pirate and you just got off the ship. Where do you go? The nearest Pub
of course. What do you sing? ...
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for
me.
We pillage plunder, we rifle and loot.
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a
hoot.
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho.
3. Margaritaville... Jimmy Buffett did himself proud on this one.
Hey, the chorus is known world - wide. Picture yourself down on some tropical island dressed in some rididulous shirt
with palm trees on it and drinking some drink with a tiny umbrella stuck in it and you're singing...
Wastin' away again in Margaritaville
Searching for my lost shaker of salt
Some
people claim that there's a woman to blame
But I know it's nobody's fault
THREE OF MY FAVORITE DRINKING SONGS...
1. A Pirate Looks At Forty... Hey, it's Jimmy Buffett again.
This song is what I personally consider the best song ever written by the main Parrothead. The line "I've been drunk
now for over two weeks" is a classic! So let's all sing it together...
I've been drunk now for over two weeks,
I passed out and I rallied and I sprung
a few leaks,
But I've got to stop wishin',
Got to go fishin', I'm down to rock bottom again.
Just a few friends,
just a few friends.
2. I DRINK ALONE... George Thorogood has put out several good drinking
songs but this one is my personal favorite of his. I appreciate the way he got so many different acoholic beverages
included in the lyrics. Not to mention anyone who can start breakfast with a Weiser!
I drink alone, yeah, with nobody else.
I drink alone, yeah, with nobody else.
Yeah,
you know when I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself.
Now, every morning, just before breakfast,
I don't want no
coffee or tea.
Just me and my good buddy Weiser.
That's all I ever need.
3. Whiskey Bent And Hellbound... This rowdy song by Hank Williams Jr. is also a tribute to his dad, sort of. This is my favorite
verse of the song. Sing it along with the BluesMan...
Play me
some songs about a ramblin' man, put a cold one in my hand,
'cause you know I love to hear those guitar sounds
Don't
you play 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry' cause I'll get all balled up
inside
And I'll get whiskey bent and hell bound
