Drinkin'

Album: The Highway (2013)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is written from the perspective of a frustrated wife who turns to drinking after her cheating, no good, alcoholic husband leaves her. Fortunately, it's pure fiction: Holly married her drummer, Chris Coleman, in 2009, and while marital bliss is subjective, it's clear from Holly's lifestyle blog that when she wrote this song, she was more likely to make a pâté than to go on a bender.

    Holly, however, is the granddaughter of Hank Williams, perhaps the greatest storyteller in the history of country music. She told Songfacts it's an example of his influence: "That's always been very natural to me to write a really simple song, with repetitive verses and a story. 'Drinkin'' is more in the Hank Sr. style of writing."
  • Unlike many Nashville songwriters, Holly doesn't write by appointment, as she can't coax the inspiration. She finds that the songs come to her at random times, and this one appeared while she was driving at night. "A lot of times I'm driving in my car at night, and if I'm on the road, it's total quiet and there's not Internet and computers," she explained. "That came out of nowhere. That was one of those 10 minute songs that just fell out. And I love the melody of it. It's a really fun song to play."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Concert Disasters

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.

Mac Powell of Third Day

Mac Powell of Third DaySongwriter Interviews

The Third Day frontman talks about some of the classic songs he wrote with the band, and what changed for his solo country album.

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"

Jackie DeShannon - "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"They're Playing My Song

It wasn't her biggest hit as a songwriter (that would be "Bette Davis Eyes"), but "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" had a family connection for Jackie.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Stan Ridgway

Stan RidgwaySongwriter Interviews

Go beyond the Wall of Voodoo with this cinematic songwriter.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.