Burton Cummings; singer, pianist, songwriter was born in the Canadian city … Read Full Bio ↴Burton Cummings; singer, pianist, songwriter was born in the Canadian city of Winnipeg on December 31st, 1947. He played with a band called the Deverons before joining The Guess Who as lead vocalist in 1965. After spending ten years with that band, he decided to pursue a solo career. His first self-titled album was released in 1976. The single, "Stand Tall," sold over a million copies. He has written and co-written many of The Guess Who's tracks, as well as his own singles. After breaking up with The Guess Who and going it alone, Cummings ultimately made the move to Sherman Oaks, California and began writing and singing for films in the late 1970's. He currently winters in California and returns to Winnipeg in the summer, living in Canada throughout autumn. He also co-starred in the movie "Melanie."

Look Out Charlie
Burton Cummings Lyrics

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Thought I'd mix myself a few margaritas
Much too strong I had some trouble get the first one down
And I come home from a ringer's show
And she lays that fresh food down
Look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town
Yeah look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town

Said all the bullets hit way too many a menace

Seems it all happened while the embassy cameras went down
Phil walks in with a smile on his face
Don't even know who's gonna wear his crown
Look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town
Yeah look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town

Someone said they hate us 'cause we don't even know why they hate us
And I stood crying while the two tall sisters fell down
Poor young George he's got so much on his plate
He's going to have to bring the hardware down
Look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town
Yeah look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town

Yeah, yeah, there's a new bartender in town
Yeah, yeah, there's a new bartender in town
There's a new bartender in town

Yeah, yeah, there's a new bartender in town
Yeah, yeah, there's a new bartender in town

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Burton Cummings's song Look Out Charlie are somewhat difficult to decipher, but they seem to be about a number of different events that are intertwined in some way. The song begins with the singer mixing himself a few margaritas, which are much too strong, and then coming home from a show to find that someone has laid out fresh food for him. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the singer warns Charlie to look out because there's a new bartender in town.

From there, the song takes a few different turns, referencing bullets hitting "way too many a menace" and an embassy's cameras going down. Phil walks in and "don't even know who's gonna wear his crown" before the lyrics turn to someone saying they hate us because we don't know why they hate us. The last part of the song references two tall sisters falling down and poor young George having too much on his plate and needing to bring the hardware down.

Overall, the song seems to be about a number of events that are connected in some way, perhaps through their impact on the singer or the world around him. The warning to Charlie about the new bartender in town feels like a metaphor for something larger, but it's not entirely clear what that might be. The song is open to interpretation and leaves the listener to make their own meaning from the lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

Thought I'd mix myself a few margaritas
I decided to make myself some margaritas

Much too strong I had some trouble get the first one down
The first margarita was too strong for me and I had trouble drinking it

And I come home from a ringer's show
I returned home from a show where there were imposters pretending to be performers

And she lays that fresh food down
My wife served me fresh food as soon as I returned home

Said all the bullets hit way too many a menace
Someone stated that too many bullets had been fired and had hit innocent people

Seems it all happened while the embassy cameras went down
It appears that the incident occurred while the embassy's surveillance cameras were not working

Phil walks in with a smile on his face
Phil enters the room with a happy expression

Don't even know who's gonna wear his crown
It's uncertain who will become the new leader

Someone said they hate us 'cause we don't even know why they hate us
It was mentioned that some people hate us but we are not sure why

And I stood crying while the two tall sisters fell down
I cried when the two tall sisters fell to the ground

Poor young George he's got so much on his plate
George has a lot of responsibilities to handle and is overwhelmed

He's going to have to bring the hardware down
He will have to take action and get things done

Look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town
Charlie, be aware that there is a new person in charge here

Yeah look out Charlie, there's a new bartender in town
Yes, Charlie, pay attention because there is a new person in charge here

There's a new bartender in town
There is a new person in charge here

Yeah, yeah, there's a new bartender in town
Yes, yes, there is a new person in charge here

Contributed by Mila M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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