Country-pop may have ruled the charts, but Kevin Fowler established himself… Read Full Bio ↴Country-pop may have ruled the charts, but Kevin Fowler established himself impressively throughout Texas by making modest honky tonk-style country for regular folks. Raised in the West Texas town Amarillo, the guitarist began his musical career on both drums and piano. He left Texas at age 20 for the bright lights of Los Angeles, where he studied music at the Guitar Institute of Technology. He returned to Texas soon after and settled in Austin, where he joined the hard rock band Dangerous Toys. Following this eye-opening stint, Fowler started his own Southern hard rock band, Thunderfoot. He soon came to the realization, however, that he couldn't shake his West Texas roots and gave up hard rock for country, the style of music he grew up with.

Fowler put together a country band in 1998 and began playing Tuesday nights at Babe's on Sixth Street in Austin. Within two years, he'd begun recording albums and struck big with his self-released Beer, Bait and Ammo (2000). The album sold around 30,000 copies in the Texas area and garnered an impressive amount of airplay, particularly for the album's title track. The song became somewhat of a Texas anthem; Mark Chesnutt made the song part of his live show, and Sammy Kershaw recorded it. Fowler returned in 2002 with his third album, High on the Hog, and boasted some impressive guests, including Willie Nelson and David Lee Garza.

If I Could Make a Livin' Drinkin'
Kevin Fowler Lyrics

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Holding down a job too long
Ain't never been my forte
Soon as I'm hired I end up fired
For showing up too late

I ain't too good at hammer swinging
Or slapping on that pane
But I'm highly skilled and qualified

For doing just one thing

Yeah, if I could make a living drinking
I'd be rolling in the dough
Chug my way up the corporate ladder
I'd be the boss in no time at all

I'd be richer than Oprah Winfrey
If I had a nickel for every beer
Yeah, if I could make a living drinking
I'd be employee of the year

I'd never call in sick
Wouldn't mind all this working overtime
I'd be too busy boozing to every join a union
I'd never run up a picket line

I'd work through my lunch hour
Wouldn't never retire
Never touch my 401K
If you do what you love and you love what you do
You'll never work a single day

Yeah, if I could make a living drinking
I'd be rolling in the dough
Chug my way up the corporate ladder
I'd be the boss in no time at all

I'd be richer than Oprah Winfrey
If I had a nickel for every beer
Yeah, if I could make a living drinking
I'd be employee of the year

Yeah, if I could make a living drinking
I'd be rolling in the dough
Chug my way up the corporate ladder
I'd be the boss in no time at all

I'd be richer than Oprah Winfrey
If I had a nickel for every beer
Yeah, if I could make a living drinking
I'd be employee of the year

Oh, if I could make a living drinking
I'd be employee of the year

Yeah, I'd have more money than ol' Bill Gates
I'd be richer than Hugh Hefner
Yeah, I'd have more women than ol' Tiger Woods

Well, maybe not that many, he's got a lot of women
You know that I mean, show me the money

Overall Meaning

In Kevin Fowler's song "If I Could Make a Livin' Drinkin'," the singer describes his disdain for holding down a job and his overwhelming desire to make a living drinking. He admits that he isn't skilled in many areas but knows he excels in drinking. The lyrics, while humorous, speak to the idea of finding what you love to do and doing it for a living. The singer believes that if he could make a living by drinking, he wouldn't mind working and would never retire. The chorus repeats that sentiment, saying that if he could make money drinking, he'd be rolling in the dough and could work his way up the corporate ladder.

The song is a tongue-in-cheek take on the idea of a dream job. While the singer is joking about drinking for a living, the underlying message is that if you find something you love to do, it doesn't feel like work. The idea of working your way up the corporate ladder through drinking is an amusing thought, but it highlights the importance of finding a job that you enjoy.

The line "If you do what you love and you love what you do, you'll never work a single day" echoes the idea that if you are passionate about your work, it doesn't feel like work. The song, therefore, suggests that if the singer could find a way to make a living from drinking, it would be the perfect job for him.

Overall, the song's fun and funky attitude makes it an enjoyable listen while still conveying the idea of finding your passion and following your dreams.

Line by Line Meaning

Holding down a job too long
I've never been able to keep a job for an extended period of time.

Ain't never been my forte
Working traditional jobs has never been my strength.

Soon as I'm hired I end up fired
I get fired shortly after being hired because I come in late all the time.

For showing up too late
My tardiness is the reason for my constant terminations.

I ain't too good at hammer swinging
I'm not great with manual labor like carpentry.

Or slapping on that pane
Nor am I great with window installation.

But I'm highly skilled and qualified
I am skilled and well-equipped for one specific thing.

For doing just one thing
That one thing is drinking.

Yeah, if I could make a living drinking
If I could earn a living by drinking, life would be perfect.

I'd be rolling in the dough
I would be rich beyond my dreams.

Chug my way up the corporate ladder
My ability to consume large amounts of alcohol would help me advance my career quickly.

I'd be the boss in no time at all
I would be a successful leader in record time.

I'd be richer than Oprah Winfrey
I would have more money than one of the wealthiest people in the world.

If I had a nickel for every beer
My bank account would overflow if I had a small amount for every beer I drank.

I'd never call in sick
Drinking wouldn't give me a cold or flu,so I wouldn't have to call in sick.

Wouldn't mind all this working overtime
Extra work hours wouldn't be an issue if I drank on the job.

I'd be too busy boozing to every join a union
I wouldn't have time to be in a labor union.

I'd never run up a picket line
I wouldn't get involved in worker protests that involve not crossing picket lines.

I'd work through my lunch hour
I wouldn't take a break to eat lunch because I'd be drinking.

Wouldn't never retire
I wouldn't retire because I'd love what I was doing.

Never touch my 401K
I wouldn't need to save money for retirement because I'd never retire.

If you do what you love and you love what you do
If you're doing what you're passionate about, you'll never work a day in your life.

You'll never work a single day
Working wouldn't feel like work because drinking is enjoyable to me.

Oh, if I could make a living drinking
Once again, if I could make a living from drinking, life would be perfect.

I'd have more money than ol' Bill Gates
I would be richer than one of the wealthiest people in history, Bill Gates.

I'd be richer than Hugh Hefner
I'd have more money than Hugh Hefner, the former owner of Playboy.

Yeah, I'd have more women than ol' Tiger Woods
I'd have more women chasing after me than the famous womanizer Tiger Woods.

Well, maybe not that many, he's got a lot of women
Perhaps not as many women as Tiger Woods because he notoriously cheated on his wife with many women.

You know that I mean, show me the money
In other words, making a living by drinking would be extremely profitable.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BEN DANIEL, BRANDON KINNEY, KEVIN FOWLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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