Posted by Drinking and singing are two of life’s greatest pleasures. Both have the capacity to bring people together, comfort them when their sad, but also to get ugly people laid. Drinking songs have been around for centuries and just about every culture enjoys their own extensive collection of merry drinking melodies. If you and your friends are planning a night of debauchery, here are ten of the best songs to help you get those drinking pants on.
The Alabama Song- The Doors
Lyric Excerpt:
Well, show me the way
To the next whiskey bar
Oh, don’t ask why
Oh, don’t ask why
For if we don’t find
The next whiskey bar
I tell you we must die
I tell you we must die
I tell you, I tell you
I tell you we must die
The Alabama Song was originally a German opera song written in 1929 by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. The lyrics for the song are always sung in English, even when the opera is performed in German. David Bowie, who was a huge Brecht fan and also incorporated the song in his 1978 world tour.
Whiskey in the Jar- The Dubliners
Lyric Excerpt:
As I was goin’ over the far famed Kerry mountains,
I met with Captain Farrell, and his money he was countin’.
I first produced me pistol and I then produced me rapier,
Saying: “Stand and deliver, for I am the bold deceiver!”.
Musha rig um du ruma da, Whack for the daddy-o,
Whack for the daddy-o, There’s whiskey in the jar
Whiskey in the Jar is one of the most widely performed traditional Irish songs and has been covered by bands such as The Dubliners, The Pogues, The Grateful Dead, Thin Lizzy and Metallica. The song tells the story of a highwayman who is betrayed by his wife or lover, who’s recipe for sorrow-consolation is a jar full of whiskey.
Streams of Whiskey- The Pogues
Lyric Excerpt:
I am going, I am going
Any which way the wind may be blowing
I am going, I am going
Where streams of whiskey are flowing
I could have easily compiled a Shane MacGowan booze-inspired song-list. MacGowan claims that he started drinking when he was four. “I just remember that Ribena turned into stout and I developed an immediate love for it.” He tried whiskey when he was 10 and continued to drink heavily thereafter. Though he is renowned for his incredibly self-destructive behavior, Joe Stummer has called him one of “one of the best writers of the century”.
Drunken Lullabies- Flogging Molly
Lyric Excerpt:
Must it take a life for hateful eyes
To glisten once again
Cause we find ourselves in the same old mess
Singin’ drunken lullabies
Lead singer Dave King said the band’s name comes from the bar (Molly Malone’s) that faithfully supported the band from the very beginning, “We used to play there every Monday night and we felt like we were flogging it to death, so we called the band Flogging Molly.”
Irish Drinking Song- Buck-o-Nine
Lyric Excerpt:
We’ll drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and fight,
We’ll drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and fight,
And if I see a pretty girl I’ll sleep with her tonight
We’ll drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and drink and FIGHT
Drunken Lazy Bastard- The Mahones
Lyric Excerpt:
Get up out of bed you drunken’ lazy bastard
You drink all night and you sleep all day
Get up out of bed you drunken’ lazy bastard
If you don’t get off your arse, then I’ll be on my way
When I arrived home, my babe already left me
She saw me in the boozer in the middle of the day
Well I guess that’s the end of our twenty year marriage
So I went back to the pub and I put the pints away
The Night Pat Murphy Died- Great Big Sea
Lyric Excerpt:
Oh the night that Paddy Murphy died, is a night I’ll never forget
Some of the boys got loaded drunk, and they ain’t got sober yet;
As long as a bottle was passed around every man was feelin’ gay
O’Leary came with the bagpipes, some music for to play
That’s how they showed their respect for Paddy Murphy
That’s how they showed their honour and their pride;
They said it was a sin and shame and they winked at one another
And every drink in the place was full the night Pat Murphy died.
The Night Paddy Murphy Died is a popular Newfoundland folk song written by Johnny Burke (1851-1930), a popular St. John’s balladeer. Stephen Harper may be the country’s PM, but with a band as awesome as Great Big Sea, I suppose we could pardon Canada for their mistake.
Have A Drink On Me- AC/DC
Lyric Excerpt:
oh, Whiskey, gin and brandy
With a glass I’m pretty handy
I’m trying to walk a straight line
On sour mash and cheap wine
So join me for a drink boys
We’re gonna make a big noise
So don’t worry about tomorrow
Take it today
Forget about the tip
We’ll get hell to pay
Have a drink on me
Have a drink on me
Yeah
Have a drink on me
Have a drink on me
Tequila- The Champs
Scene from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure:
Lyric Excerpt:
Tequila
This was the band’s only hit song., but it gets straight to the point.
What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor
Lyric Excerpt:
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
What shall we do with a drunken sailor?
Early in the morning.
Way-hay, up she rises
Way-hay, up she rises
Way-hay, up she rises
Early in the morning.
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Shave his belly with a rusty razor
Early in the morning.
What Shall we do with a Drunken Sailor is a famous traditional sea shanty with each verse suggesting different methods of sobering, castigating, or abusing the sailor.
