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.

Long Neckin'
Kevin Fowler Lyrics

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There's a hole in the wall just across the tracks
When I'm missin' you that's where I hang my hat
On the antler hook there by the door
I get bellied up and get ready for

[Chorus]
A little long neckin'
Pourin' 'em down the hatch

Chug a lug a luggin' this regrettin'
Washin' away the past
Yeah I'll do it up right
With a cold one tonight
It's a sure fire remedy
Yeah long neckin' makes for short memories

Now sometimes it just takes one or two
And you'd never even know that I knew you
Ahh but then there's nights you won't get gone
And I'm on that barstool all night long

[Chorus]

A lot of non-stoppin' top poppin'
Gets the forgettin' done
Lookin' down this bar
It's plain to see
I ain't the only one

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The song "Long Neckin'" by Kevin Fowler talks about coping with the pain of missing someone by drowning sorrows in alcohol. The opening line "There's a hole in the wall just across the tracks" sets the location of a bar or a hole-in-the-wall type of place, often visited by people to drown their sorrows in alcohol. The singer misses someone and he can't forget her, but he tries to make it easier by drinking long neck beers. It's a typical country song in that sense, where alcohol and heartbreak go hand-in-hand.

The lyrics suggest that the singer often ends up spending the whole night in the bar, drinking more than he intends to because he wants to forget his past. The lines "And you'd never even know that I knew you" suggests that he has lost contact with someone he cared about and now he's trying to forget her. The chorus of the song talks about using alcohol to wash away his problems, and how the "long neckin'" (drinking beer) makes for short memories. It suggests that drinking heavily is not a solution but merely provides temporary relief from his pain.

Overall, "Long Neckin'" is a classic country song about forgetting your worries by drowning your sorrows in alcohol. Kevin Fowler's powerful voice and simple instrumentation add to the raw emotion of the song. It's not a song that promotes heavy drinking, but rather shows how some people use it as a coping mechanism.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a hole in the wall just across the tracks
There is a place near my house where I can go to drink

When I'm missin' you that's where I hang my hat
When I miss you, I go to that place to feel better

On the antler hook there by the door
There is a hook on the wall where I can hang my hat

I get bellied up and get ready for
I sit at the bar and prepare myself for drinking

A little long neckin'
Drinking beer from bottles with long necks

Pourin' 'em down the hatch
Drinking beer quickly

Chug a lug a luggin' this regrettin'
Drinking and trying to forget past regrets and mistakes

Washin' away the past
Trying to forget past events

Yeah I'll do it up right
I will drink and have a good time

With a cold one tonight
I will drink cold beer tonight

It's a sure fire remedy
Drinking is a sure way to make myself feel better

Yeah long neckin' makes for short memories
Drinking helps me forget things easily

Now sometimes it just takes one or two
Sometimes, I only need to drink one or two beers to feel better

And you'd never even know that I knew you
If I only drink one or two beers, you won't know that I am thinking of you

Ahh but then there's nights you won't get gone
Sometimes, I will stay at the bar all night

And I'm on that barstool all night long
I will be sitting on a barstool for the whole night

A lot of non-stoppin' top poppin'
Many people keep drinking and opening new beers

Gets the forgettin' done
Drinking helps people forget things

Lookin' down this bar
Observing everyone at the bar

It's plain to see
It's easy to see

I ain't the only one
Other people are also drinking and trying to forget

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CASEY BEATHARD, MICHAEL HEENEY, MARLA CANNON-GOODMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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