"Bartender" is a song about waiting for bad news, written as a long-term relationship was showing signs of crumbling. It's about the helplessness of knowing the end is coming but not being able to do anything to prevent it - hoping for the best but fearing the worst. The dynamic arc of the song, with its sparse intro and outro offset by a heavy wall of sound throughout the choruses portray the weight of the feeling and the desperate ups and downs that accompany coming to terms with such a situation. It's sad, but it's energized, brimming with emotion building up and bursting out.
lyrics
Bartender, hope you don't mind if I pull up a seat,
It's only Wednesday, but it's already shown it's shaping up to be a terrible week,
Help me get over the hump, 'cause I can't do it alone, she put an end to my five-year streak,
Bartender, bartender
Serve me up a little hope on the rocks, might need a little help to drink it all down,
I'm feeling helpless with my head in the stocks while I'm waiting for the blade to come down,
Don't you know that it's the only way that I have found to get me through the day,
Let me know if you know of another order that could maybe make her want to stay
Bartender, don't have a driver to get me home,
And it's a problem that I'll have to get used to if she decides she's gonna leave me alone,
I didn't plan ahead, I never had to before, now my mind is as blank as a stone,
Bartender, bartender
Serve me up a little hope on the rocks, might need a little help to drink it all down,
I'm feeling helpless with my head in the stocks while I'm waiting for the blade to come down,
Don't you know that it's the only way that I have found to get me through the day,
Let me know if you know of another order that could maybe make her want to stay
Bartender, I'll remember all our future dreams,
Love mender, please send her back home to me,
Grief ender, help me find a way to make her see,
I won't surrender, I will defend her for eternity
Serve me up a little hope on the rocks, might need a little help to drink it all down,
I'm feeling helpless with my head in the stocks while I'm waiting for the blade to come down,
Don't you know that it's the only way that I have found to get me through the day,
Let me know if you know of another order that could maybe make her want to stay
Bartender, I will remember,
As I stumble out the door like I've never done before she is still all that's on my mind
credits
released September 15, 2016
released September 15, 2016
Ryan Sweezey - acoustic guitar, vocals
George Woods - electric guitar, bass, organ
Mike Downes - drums
Written by Ryan Sweezey
Engineered and Produced by George Woods - Birds in the Woods Productions - Quincy, Mass.
Recorded at The Record Company - Boston, Mass.
Mastered by Larry DeVivo - Silvertone Mastering
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