Stranger
Hank and Tank Lyrics
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And the jobs were hard to find
I was sort of short on cash
And my bills were way behind
So I went to see my life long friend
An old man now by trade
I figured it's how he had help me out
I said, 'Old pal, I need your help
I hate to be so bold
But remember when I saved your life
Down at the swimming hole'
Now I'd like to ask a favor
If you can see your way
I'd like to have a little loan?
And then I heard him say
Excuse me total stranger
I can't seem to recall
Are you absolutely certain
That we've ever met at all?
"I'd really like to help you out?
As he opened wide the door
So long total stranger
That I've never seen before?
Now once I had a girlfriend
Who really caught my eye
And when the wife was out of town
Well, I'd court her on the sly
We'd taken all the nightclubs
And honky tonk around
Join at all the parties
And really do the town
But then one night my wife came home
She must have smelled a rat
She looked around from place to place
And found where I was at
Well, there we were all cuddled up
I knew that I was dead
But before my wife could say a word
I jumped right up and said
She's just a total stranger
Who came in off the streets
The place is kinda crowded
So I offered her a seat"
"Now, I couldn't leave this lady
Just a standin' on the floor
She's just a total stranger
That I've never seen before?
My friend said let's go huntin'
I've got the gun and chills
The birds are really flyin'
And I think we'll do quite well
He killed a half a dozen
Then said, I supposed
I really ought to tell you
That the huntin' season's closed?
About that time he heard a noise
And he ducked behind a tree
He took the gun, shelled some birds
And gave them all to me
Up stepped the old game warden
And found me standing there
Before I had a chance to talk
I heard my friend declare
He's just a total stranger
And I was passing by
I saw this total stranger
Shoot those birds out of the sky?
It's a shame the way some people
The laws they do ignore
Like this total stranger
That I've never seen before?
The song 'Stranger' by Hank and Tank tells the story of a man who is down on his luck and has fallen on hard times. He goes to his old friend, who is now a wealthy man, to ask for a loan. However, his friend does not recognize him and denies ever having met him before. The singer of the song uses this in different situations to extricate himself from problems with his wife and the game warden. In both cases, he refers to himself as a "total stranger" that no one knows. The theme of the song is about the power of money and how it can change relationships between friends.
The first verse of the song describes the singer's financial struggles and how his bills are overdue. When he goes to seek help from his wealthy friend, he reminds the friend of a time when he had saved his life. However, the friend denies knowing him, leaving the singer completely stranded. To justify his sudden appearance, the singer responds by claiming to be a stranger in the situation.
In the second verse, the singer recounts a time when he cheated on his wife with another woman. When his wife found out, he claimed that the woman was a "total stranger" he had just met. In the final verse, the singer is found hunting with his friend during the off-season. When confronted by the game warden, the friend lies and says that the singer is a "total stranger" he saw shooting the birds.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I was down upon my luck
I was in a bad situation
And the jobs were hard to find
I couldn't find work
I was sort of short on cash
I didn't have much money
And my bills were way behind
I owed a lot of money
So I went to see my life long friend
I asked someone I'd known for a long time
An old man now by trade
He was now in a different line of work
I figured it's how he had help me out
I thought he could help me
With his fortune he had made
Because he was wealthy
I said, 'Old pal, I need your help
I asked for his assistance
I hate to be so bold
I felt a little embarrassed
But remember when I saved your life
I reminded him of a good deed I had done
Down at the swimming hole'
At a location where people swim
Now I'd like to ask a favor
Now I have a request
If you can see your way
If it's possible for you
I'd like to have a little loan?
I would like to borrow some money
And then I heard him say
Then he responded to me
Excuse me total stranger
He didn't know who I was
I can't seem to recall
He couldn't remember
Are you absolutely certain
Are you sure
That we've ever met at all?
That we know each other?
I'd really like to help you out?
He wanted to help me
As he opened wide the door
As he allowed me to leave
So long total stranger
Goodbye to someone he didn't know
That I've never seen before?
That he didn't recognize
Now once I had a girlfriend
I had a romantic partner
Who really caught my eye
I was attracted to her
And when the wife was out of town
When my spouse wasn't home
Well, I'd court her on the sly
I'd secretly try to romance her
We'd taken all the nightclubs
We went to all the nightlife spots
And honky tonk around
We had a good time partying
Join at all the parties
We went to all the social events
And really do the town
We had a lot of fun exploring the city
But then one night my wife came home
But then my spouse returned
She must have smelled a rat
She suspected I was up to something
She looked around from place to place
She searched for evidence
And found where I was at
And discovered what I was doing
Well, there we were all cuddled up
We were embracing each other
I knew that I was dead
I knew I was in trouble
But before my wife could say a word
Before my spouse could speak
I jumped right up and said
I quickly reacted
She's just a total stranger
I claimed I didn't know her
Who came in off the streets
Who arrived from outside
The place is kinda crowded
There were many people around
So I offered her a seat
I invited her to sit down
Now, I couldn't leave this lady
I felt I had to stay with her
Just a standin' on the floor
Just standing there
She's just a total stranger
She was someone I didn't know
That I've never seen before?
Someone who was unfamiliar to me?
My friend said let's go huntin'
My friend suggested we go hunting
I've got the gun and chills
I have the firearm and I'm excited
The birds are really flyin'
The birds are very active
And I think we'll do quite well
I expect us to catch a lot of birds
He killed a half a dozen
He shot several birds
Then said, I supposed
Then said, I guess
I really ought to tell you
I should inform you
That the huntin' season's closed?
That hunting is no longer permitted?
About that time he heard a noise
Then he heard a sound
And he ducked behind a tree
He hid behind a tree
He took the gun, shelled some birds
He fired the gun and hit some birds
And gave them all to me
And handed them all to me
Up stepped the old game warden
The conservation officer appeared
And found me standing there
And saw me standing nearby
Before I had a chance to talk
Before I could explain myself
I heard my friend declare
I heard my friend say
He's just a total stranger
I don't know him
And I was passing by
I was just walking by
I saw this total stranger
I noticed this person I don't know
Shoot those birds out of the sky?
Shooting those birds?
It's a shame the way some people
It's terrible the way some individuals
The laws they do ignore
They break the laws
Like this total stranger
People like this person I don't know
That I've never seen before?
Who I have never met before?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nathanielsmith2926
These charges bearly scratch the surface of this notorious criminal's offenses, they could only prove 21.
@NaturallyPaige_
I had forgotten all about Hank 🐻
@Nofuksgiven23
Free hank the tank
@Awesome_Aasim
Bears are very intelligent -- and cute -- creatures.
@marcellixxx
Poor thing 🐻
@kentucky7949
Think it's funny how they took the bears kids saying she was unfit.... Wtf that's what bears to. But in reality they took the cubs to profit off of just be honest with the people lol😂
@BILLYPATRON
Is Hank a single father? His cub was hit by a car? He’s probably depressed and pissed off raiding houses looking for the owner of that vehicle
@JonathanMcDonald26
This the bear i probably ran into when i visited tahoe last summer dude came running out a building😂
@sal20Jets
Free Hank. Reunite her with the kids‼️
@Melissa-so9ck
She be my spirit animal us fluffy girls gotta stick together