dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Clams · Post by **Clams** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:00 am

Here's another one that's guaranteed a spot on the Mt Rushmore of Cooley Songs. Like Devil Don't Stay and Zip City, this song stopped me dead in my tracks the first time I heard it. That riff, not to mention all those great lines. Those last two verses just might be Cooley's finest moment (hard as I've tried, I still can't get my brain all the way around it).

As far as live versions go, interesting contrast between the Jason versions with the third guitar and the Neff versions with the pedal steel. I think I prefer the former which to me gives the song a harder, more desperate feeling as opposed to the resignation and weepiness of the pedal steel versions. Patterson's backup vocals on "Take me piece by piece" and "Nights a girl who's gone too far" are one of my favorite parts of the entire rock show experience.

If I make it through this year, I think I'm gonna put this bottle down
Maybe as time goes on I'll learn to miss it less than I do now
Think I'm gonna tell her that I'm gonna go away for a while
Till I can get this demon out

You know the bottle ain't to blame and I ain't trying to
It don't make you do a thing it just lets you
When I'm six feet underground, I'll need a drink or two
And I'll sure miss you

Take me piece by piece till there ain't nothing left worth taking away from me

The highway's humming in my head and it's hard to hear
Won't you read my lips if I pull you near enough
Could you read my fortune in the bottom of this coffee cup
Tell me how to tell when I've had enough

If morning's a bitch with open arms and night's a girl who's gone to far
Whiskey is harder to keep than a woman and it's half as sweet but
Women without whiskey, Women without whiskey
Whiskey is hard to beat
Whiskey is hard to beat

never going back · Post by **never going back** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:12 am

This is one my top three favorite DBT songs. I love everything about it.

The Black Canary · Post by **The Black Canary** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:16 am

never going back wrote:This is one my top three favorite DBT songs. I love everything about it.

Ditto!!!! 100X

Mrs Swamp · Post by **Mrs Swamp** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:01 pm

One of my favorites!!!~

RevMatt · Post by **RevMatt** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 12:10 pm

Mt. Rushmore isn't big enough for all the great Cooley songs.

Iowan · Post by **Iowan** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 1:14 pm

The end of this song is some of the truest shit ever put on paper. At least for certain times in life.

The Edge · Post by **The Edge** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:47 pm

This could be my all time fav. Any person I have ever talked to about the band and they never heard them, I played them this song.

The Black Canary · Post by **The Black Canary** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 3:21 pm

The Edge wrote:This could be my all time fav. Any person I have ever talked to about the band and they never heard them, I played them this song.

This is one of their best to intro someone into them, job well done...

Zip City · Post by **Zip City** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 3:34 pm

\^/ \^/ \^/

Penny Lane · Post by **Penny Lane** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 5:02 pm

top 3 live DBT songs....
love love love this song....love love loooooooove it.
i quote it in my head all the time

Post by **Tequila Cowboy** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 8:11 pm

Just an amazing songs. From a songwriting standpoint alone it's terrific, the lyrics paint a great picture and the chord structure is original and takes some nice chances later in the song. Plus it just fucking kicks all kinds of ass.

Zip City · Post by **Zip City** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 9:33 pm

Not to mention amazing slide guitar

Emily · Post by **Emily** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 9:12 am

The first time I heard this song I wasn't particularly struck by it, but that's long since changed. Those first two verses...God damn.

scotto · Post by **scotto** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 1:16 pm

My wife's single all-time favorite DBT tune.
And for good reason. Great stuff.

hanklow · Post by **hanklow** » Wed Oct 06, 2010 4:15 pm

"You know the bottle ain't to blame and I ain't trying to
It don't make you do a thing it just lets you"

Maybe my favorite Cooley lyric

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 6:22 am

Jason Isbell via twitter:

"Whiskey's hard to beat." Why did I only just now realize the double meaning in that line? I can be an idiot sometimes

'Scratch · Post by **'Scratch** » Sun Feb 06, 2011 7:53 am

One that gives me goosebumps. It's taken me years to get the lyrics right but that never stopped me from shout singing it in my car every time.

rawkshow · Post by **rawkshow** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:31 pm

[quote="hanklow"]"You know the bottle ain't to blame and I ain't trying to
It don't make you do a thing it just lets you"

my girlfriend bought me a flask for xmas with the line "it don't make you do a thing it just lets you" engraved on it! just such a great line & it's one of my favorite songs, period.

burtreyn0lds · Post by **burtreyn0lds** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 2:55 pm

"Whiskey's hard to beat." Why did I only just now realize the double meaning in that line? I can be an idiot sometimes. 9:33 AM Feb 3rd via web - Jason Isbell

http://twitter.com/JasonIsbell/status/33216550282465281

I thought this twitter post from Isbell was pretty funny.

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:02 pm

burtreyn0lds wrote:"Whiskey's hard to beat." Why did I only just now realize the double meaning in that line? I can be an idiot sometimes. 9:33 AM Feb 3rd via web - Jason Isbell

http://twitter.com/JasonIsbell/status/33216550282465281

I thought this twitter post from Isbell was pretty funny.

look 3 posts up

burtreyn0lds · Post by **burtreyn0lds** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:07 pm

Smitty wrote:
burtreyn0lds wrote:"Whiskey's hard to beat." Why did I only just now realize the double meaning in that line? I can be an idiot sometimes. 9:33 AM Feb 3rd via web - Jason Isbell

http://twitter.com/JasonIsbell/status/33216550282465281

I thought this twitter post from Isbell was pretty funny.

look 3 posts up

Oh man, am I a doofus. :oops:

lotusamerica · Post by **lotusamerica** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 2:07 am

I don't know how I'd pick a favorite Cooley song, but this is surely one of them.

Love the new year's resolution at the start of the song and grimace knowing we'll be singing the same goddamn thing all over again next year.

UncleFrank23 · Post by **UncleFrank23** » Sat Feb 12, 2011 4:21 am

Clams wrote:Here's another one that's guaranteed a spot on the Mt Rushmore of Cooley Songs.

WWW is on the Mt Rushmore of Songs.

ramonz · Post by **ramonz** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 5:37 pm

Top 3 DBT song for me.

OK, so why does Cooley absolutely blast though "if I make it through this year, I think I'm gonna put this bottle down" every. single. time. that (at least) I've heard it live?

Not that I mind at all, but I've always been curious. It's almost as if he were to record the same song today, he'd record that first line in the quick-draw fashion instead of what's on SRO.

Anyone else wonder about this?

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:06 pm

ramonz wrote:Top 3 DBT song for me.

OK, so why does Cooley absolutely blast though "if I make it through this year, I think I'm gonna put this bottle down" every. single. time. that (at least) I've heard it live?

Not that I mind at all, but I've always been curious. It's almost as if he were to record the same song today, he'd record that first line in the quick-draw fashion instead of what's on SRO.

Anyone else wonder about this?

sometimes he rocks some jazzy willie nelson phrasing

RMD · Post by **RMD** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 7:19 pm

It is not possible for me to ever get tired of this song. If I wrote WWW I'd retire after this one song.

Cole Younger · Post by **Cole Younger** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:52 pm

I don't know why this got dug up but this is definitely one of my favorite songs.

Personally, i think the Dirty South Live At The 40 Watt version is the absolute best version of this song. Just absolutely great. The best version of a great song. But I love that DVD and the versions of Never Gonna Change and The Buford Stick may be the best ever too.

cortez the killer · Post by **cortez the killer** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 9:59 pm

Cole Younger wrote:I don't know why this got dug up.

No shovel or manual labor required.

Cole Younger · Post by **Cole Younger** » Fri Apr 27, 2012 10:16 pm

cortez the killer wrote:
Cole Younger wrote:I don't know why this got dug up.

No shovel or manual labor required.

That was a great addition to this thread.

Rocky · Post by **Rocky** » Tue May 01, 2012 4:46 pm

rawkshow wrote:my girlfriend bought me a flask for xmas with the line "it don't make you do a thing it just lets you" engraved on it! just such a great line & it's one of my favorite songs, period.

This is a sure sign that you've picked a good one.

Since this is an older post, hopefully you haven't broken up because that would make me at least the third idiot / doofus in this thread.
:mrgreen:

dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey

Re: dbt tracks #20 - Women Without Whiskey