One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer
John Lee Hooker Lyrics


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One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer
Well, my baby, she gone, gone tonight
I ain't seen the girl since night before last
I wanna get drunk, get off of my mind

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

And I sit there
Get stoned
Mellow
Stoned, feelin' good
Real mellow
Dreamin'
After a while, I looked down the bar
At the bartender
I said, "Hey, what do you want?"

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer
Well, my baby, she gone, gone tonight
I ain't seen the baby since night before last
I wanna get drunk, get off of my mind

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

Ah-ha, yeah, uh-m
I'm gonna sit there, I was tastin'
Sippin', gettin' rolling
And gettin' a little dizzy
Couldn't hardly see
The bartender
Couldn't hardly sip
On the bar stool
I was rockin' and I was dizzy
And after a while, I looked on the wall
At the old clock
By that time eleven o'clock
Gettin' a little late
And I looked down the bar
At the bartender
I said, "Hey, what do you want?"

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer
Well, my baby, she gone, gone tonight
I ain't seen my baby since night before last
I wanna get drunk, get off of my mind

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

Ah-ha, yeah, yes, sir
And I sit there
At the bar
Uh-m, drinkin'
And after a while, I looked down the bar
At the bartender
Then after I looked down the bar, I looked on the wall
At the old clock
By that time, when the last call for alcohol
Was a quarter to two
Then I looked down the bar
At the bartender
I said, "Hey, what do you want?"





One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" tell the story of a man who is upset because his lover has left him, so he decides to drink until he forgets about her. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the man's mind state and sets the theme of the song. The first verse indicates that he hasn't seen his lover since the night before and he's determined to get drunk. The chorus repeats the same line, indicating that the singer remains unfaltering in his pursuit of oblivion.


In the second verse, the man has already been drinking for a while, he's feeling mellow, stoned, and dreamy. He's so intoxicated that he can hardly see straight, and he's struggling to sip his drink while sitting on the barstool. Despite all of this, he still repeats the same chorus, stressing the importance of drinking until he forgets his problems. The final verse sees the man drinking up until the last call for alcohol at 1:45 am. Despite the clock's ticking, the barman's attempts to get him to leave, and the bartender's displeasure with him remaining at the bar until the last possible moment, the singer refuses to leave, and continues to drink.


Line by Line Meaning

One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer
The singer wants three drinks to get drunk and forget about his missing lover.


Well, my baby, she gone, gone tonight
The singer's lover has left him and he is upset.


I ain't seen the girl since night before last
The singer hasn't seen his lover since two nights ago.


I wanna get drunk, get off of my mind
The artist wants to get drunk to forget about his lover.


And I sit there
The artist is sitting at the bar.


Get stoned
The singer is smoking marijuana.


Mellow
The singer is feeling relaxed and calm.


Stoned, feelin' good
The artist is enjoying the effects of being high.


Real mellow
The artist is feeling very relaxed and calm.


Dreamin'
The artist is lost in thought.


After a while, I looked down the bar
The singer turns his attention towards the rest of the bar.


At the bartender
The artist looks at the person serving drinks.


I said, 'Hey, what do you want?'
The singer is asking the bartender what he wants to drink.


Ah-ha, yeah, uh-m
The singer is agreeing and giving affirmation.


I'm gonna sit there, I was tastin'
The singer is savoring his drink as he drinks it.


Sippin', gettin' rolling
The artist is drinking his drink and enjoying the effects of the alcohol.


And gettin' a little dizzy
The artist is feeling slightly dizzy from the alcohol.


Couldn't hardly see
The singer's vision is becoming impaired due to the alcohol.


The bartender
The singer is looking at the person serving drinks.


Couldn't hardly sip
The artist is having trouble drinking his drink due to his inebriation.


On the bar stool
The artist is sitting on a stool at the bar.


I was rockin' and I was dizzy
The artist is feeling unsteady and disoriented.


And after a while, I looked on the wall
The singer shifts his gaze to the wall.


At the old clock
The artist is looking at the clock on the wall.


By that time eleven o'clock
It is currently eleven o'clock at night.


Gettin' a little late
It is getting late in the night.


And I looked down the bar
The singer is once again looking down the length of the bar.


At the bartender
The artist is looking at the person serving drinks.


I said, 'Hey, what do you want?'
The artist is asking the bartender what he wants to drink for the second time.


Ah-ha, yeah, yes, sir
The singer is agreeing and giving affirmation.


And I sit there
The singer is still sitting at the bar.


At the bar
The artist is sitting at the bar.


Uh-m, drinkin'
The artist is drinking his drink.


Then after I looked down the bar, I looked on the wall
The artist is once again looking around the bar.


By that time, when the last call for alcohol
It is now last call for alcohol in the bar.


Was a quarter to two
It is almost two o'clock in the morning.


Then I looked down the bar
The singer is once again looking down the length of the bar.


At the bartender
The singer is looking at the person serving drinks.


I said, 'Hey, what do you want?'
The singer is asking the bartender what he wants to drink for the third time.




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN LEE HOOKER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@jacques5434

one john ,one guitar ,one blues😎👍

@janecarbone1504

it's 2023 this music will never get old to me it will always bring back sweet memories. One of the Masters of the Blues Mr. Johnny Lee Hooker

@mistah_nahamsha

I love listening to this song both performed by John Lee Hooker and George Thorogood! Both of them are awesome artists!

@jimwilliams3517

The originator of Thousands and never outdone. John Lee Hooker is still number one!

@mic115849

The baddest I know for a fact! Ask his nephew Archie Lee, hope you're still jamming Archie Lee Hooker

@kathyfrancis9229

No one does it better.

@3flyte_3flyte

John is a living national treasure. There is no other at this level. He is the only John Lee Hooker. A great bluesman, bar none. I love his baritone voice...great range, timing, intonation, and delivery. He is so understated it's amazing. You listen to him again and pick something up that you missed many times before.

@kwgm8578

Unfortunately, John Lee is no longer with us, in body. Certainly, his spirit lives on and on, and his music never gets old. John Lee's unique blues style will last a long, long time. 😊

@ickystrashcan....anothersm9749

John dead ...

@ickystrashcan....anothersm9749

I met him... I meet all kinds of notable folk... He's the best one

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