Walker was born on 25th December 1949 in San Francisco, California; his parents were blues fans, and introduced him to the music when he was young. He learnt to play the guitar at the age of fourteen, and left home at sixteen to work as a performer. He soon met Mike Bloomfield, who introduced him to the Bay Area Blues scene. During the 1960s, Walker opened for such artists as Earl Hooker, Freddie King, and Lowell Fulson.
In 1975 he left the blues scene for ten years to sing with a gospel quartet called The Spiritual Corinthians. In 1980, he recorded an album with this group called God Will Provide. Walker left the Spiritual Corinthians in 1985, but has maintained a gospel influence in his music.
He returned to San Francisco in 1985, and formed a group called the Bosstalkers. He released four albums on the Hightone Records label before moving to Verve/Gitanes (a division of Polydor/Polygram). Walker released six albums with this label, and won a series of awards in the 1990s.
Walker has released several albums since leaving Verve, including four separate works between 2002 and 2003.
* Official site
Too Drunk To Drive Drunk
Joe Louis Walker Lyrics
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A couple games of pool, just a wind on down
Ready to leave, I couldn't find my keys
The bartender says he's got them
But they're staying here with me
'Cause you're too drunk to drive drunk this time
Too drunk to drive drunk this time
But you ain't driving outta here like this no more
I went and looked at my car, my car looked back to me
I said, "We can't go nowhere, the bartender's got my keys"
You mighta driven drunk outta here before
But ain't gon' let you do it anymore
'Cause you're too drunk to drive drunk this time
You're too drunk to drive drunk this time
I know you might have did it a million times before
But you ain't driving outta here like this no more
Well, I went back in and had another round
I planned some more booze to try to wine down
I'm ready to leave, couldn't find my keys
Bartender's still got 'em and staying here with me
You're too drunk to drive drunk this time
You're too drunk to drive drunk this time
I know you might have did it a million times before
But you ain't driving outta here like this no more
You're too drunk to drive drunk this time
Too drunk to drive drunk this time
I know you might have did it a million times before
But you ain't driving outta here like this no more
The lyrics of Joe Louis Walker's song "Too Drunk to Drive Drunk" tell the story of a man who leaves work and goes to a bar to wind down by playing a couple of games of pool. He gets too drunk, and when he's ready to leave, he can't find his keys. The bartender tells him that he has them and won't give them back because he believes the man is too drunk to drive. The man looks at his car and realizes he can't go anywhere without the keys, so he goes back to the bar and continues drinking.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Too drunk to drive drunk this time" several times, emphasizing the bartender's warning that he is not going to let the man drive home in his condition. Even though the man has driven drunk before, the bartender is not willing to let it happen again.
The lyrics of the song convey a strong message against drunk driving, highlighting the importance of being responsible and not putting oneself and others in danger. The bartender, who refuses to give the man his keys, is portrayed as a responsible individual who cares about his customers and their safety.
Line by Line Meaning
Got off work, got in a heavy round
After finishing work, I went out for a few drinks.
A couple games of pool, just a wind on down
I played some pool to relax and unwind.
Ready to leave, I couldn't find my keys
I was planning to go home but couldn't find my car keys.
The bartender says he's got them
The bartender told me he's holding onto my keys.
But they're staying here with me
The bartender won't give me my keys because I'm too drunk to drive.
'Cause you're too drunk to drive drunk this time
You are too intoxicated to safely operate a vehicle.
I went and looked at my car, my car looked back to me
I went outside to check on my car but couldn't drive it since I didn't have my keys.
You mighta driven drunk outta here before
You've potentially driven home drunk from this bar in the past.
But ain't gon' let you do it anymore
The bartender won't allow me to take my keys and drive home since it's unsafe.
Well, I went back in and had another round
I went back into the bar and continued drinking.
I planned some more booze to try to wine down
I planned to drink more alcohol to calm down.
You're too drunk to drive drunk this time
You are still too intoxicated to safely drive home.
But you ain't driving outta here like this no more
The bartender won't let me drive home because it's dangerous.
Contributed by Bella T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.