Mandolin Orange’s music radiates a mysterious warmth —their songs feel like whispered secrets, one hand cupped to your ear. The North Carolina duo have built a steady and growing fanbase with this kind of intimacy, and on Tides of A Teardrop, due out February 1, it is more potent than ever. By all accounts, it is the duo’s fullest, richest, and most personal effort. You can hear the air between them—the taut space of shared understanding, as palpable as a magnetic field, that makes their music sound like two halves of an endlessly completing thought. Singer-songwriter Andrew Marlin and multi-instrumentalist Emily Frantz have honed this lamp glow intimacy for years.
In the last three years, the group has toured throughout the U.S and Europe, including appearances at Austin City Limits, South by Southwest, Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Pickathon, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Rooster Walk, and MerleFest and the Omagh Bluegrass Festival. Mandolin Orange was the featured artist on CBS This Morning's Saturday Morning Sessions on December 7, 2019.
They signed to Yep Roc Records in 2013 and have produced four albums under their umbrella, This Side Of Jordan, Such Jubilee, Blindfaller and Tides of a Teardrop.
Waltz About Whiskey
Mandolin Orange Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now the gettin's got gone
So I'm going downtown
Just to tie one on
Im oak aged and sour
I'm going down by the hour
And I'm as blue, as the night is long
So wont someone dance with me
And turn the sad songs to lullabies
I don't need much of nothing
Except for all your loving
And a waltz about whiskey on ice
Well one quarter should do
Number A32
A little truth from the jukebox
Should make it alright
And as the booze sets in
I'm getting high again
To a waltz about whiskey on ice
So wont someone dance with me
To a waltz about whiskey
And turn the sad songs to lulabys
I don't need much of nothing
Except for all your loving
And a waltz about whiskey on ice
Well I remember the night
She sat down beside me
She cried love was a ring that wont end
Well I was handed a lie
And now the only thing
I know of a ring
Is a circle my glass leaves behind
So wont someone dance with me
To a waltz about whiskey
And turn the sad songs to lulabys
I don't need much of nothing
Except for all your loving
And a waltz about whiskey on ice
The lyrics of Mandolin Orange's song Waltz About Whiskey describe a man who is reflecting on his life and feeling the weight of his troubles. He used to have it good, but now he is feeling the effects of his decisions and the passage of time. He decides to go to a bar and drink his sorrows away, hoping that the company of others will lift his spirits. He longs for someone to dance with him to a waltz about whiskey and turn his sad songs into lullabies. He doesn't need much except for love and a chance to forget his problems for a while.
The lyrics paint a picture of a man who is trying to find solace in alcohol, but recognizes that he needs more in life. He remembers the woman who sat beside him and cried about a love that wouldn't last, and he realizes that he too has been handed a lie. Despite this, he still craves the fleeting happiness that comes from a night out with good company and strong spirits. The waltz about whiskey serves as a metaphor for his desire for a simple life, filled with love and comfort.
Overall, the song's themes speak to the universal human desire for happiness and fulfillment, and the struggle that comes with trying to achieve those things in a world that can often be harsh and unforgiving.
Line by Line Meaning
Once the gettin' was good
There was a time when I had everything I wanted
But now the gettin's got gone
But now I don't have anything
So I'm going downtown
That's why I'm heading to the city
Just to tie one on
To drink heavily
I'm oak aged and sour
I'm growing old and miserable
I'm going down by the hour
My mood is becoming worse as time goes by
And I'm as blue, as the night is long
I'm feeling sad and lonely
So won't someone dance with me
I'm asking for someone to keep me company
To a waltz about whiskey
As we dance, let's sing about whiskey
And turn the sad songs to lullabies
Let's forget our sadness and sing something soothing
I don't need much of nothing
I don't need anything else
Except for all your loving
Just your love is enough
And a waltz about whiskey on ice
And some whiskey on ice
Well one quarter should do
I only need one quarter to play some music
Number A32
This is the number of the song I want to play
A little truth from the jukebox
I want to hear something honest and true from the jukebox
Should make it alright
That should cheer me up
And as the booze sets in
As I drink more and more
I'm getting high again
I'm starting to feel drunk again
To a waltz about whiskey on ice
As we dance, let's sing about whiskey on ice
Well I remember the night
I remember a particular night
She sat down beside me
When she came and sat next to me
She cried love was a ring that won't end
She said that love is everlasting
Well I was handed a lie
But I was deceived
And now the only thing
And now, the only thing
I know of a ring
What I understand about a ring
Is a circle my glass leaves behind
Is the ring that forms on the bar when I put my glass down
So won't someone dance with me
Again, I'm looking for someone to dance with
To a waltz about whiskey
Let's sing about whiskey as we dance
And turn the sad songs to lullabies
Let's forget our sadness and sing something soothing
I don't need much of nothing
I don't need anything else
Except for all your loving
Just your love is enough
And a waltz about whiskey on ice
And some whiskey on ice
Contributed by Ruby Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mykalmcclure8404
Once the gettin’ was good
Now the gettin’s got gone
I’ll go on down town
Just to tie one on
I’m low and cased in silence
Goin’ down by the hour
And I’m as blue as the night is long
So won’t someone dance with me
To a waltz about whiskey
And turn the sad songs to lullabies
I don’t need much o’ nothin’
Just all of your lovin’
A waltz about whiskey on ice
One quarter should do
Number 832
A little tune from the jukebox should make it alright
Now the booze sets in
I’m gettin high again
With a waltz about whiskey on ice
So won’t someone dance with me
To a waltz about whiskey
And turn the sad songs to lullabies
I don’t need much o’ nothin’
Except all of your lovin’
A waltz about whiskey on ice
Well I remember the night she sat down beside me
She cried love was a ring that won’t ever end
I was handed a lie
And now the only thing I know of a ring
Is the circle my glass leaves behind
So won’t someone dance with me
To a waltz about whiskey
And turn the sad songs to lullabies
I don’t need much o’ nothin’
Except all of your lovin’
A waltz about whiskey on ice
:)
@veronicka40
Once the getting was good, but now the getting's got gone
I'm going downtown just to tie one on
I'm oak aged and sour, I'm going down by the hour
Now I'm as blue as night is long
So won't someone dance with meto a waltz about whiskey
And turn these sad songs to lullabies
I don't need much of nothin', except for all your lovin'
And the waltz about whiskey on ice
One quarter should do, number A32
A little truth from the jukebox should make it alright
And as the booze sets in, I'm getting high again
To the waltz about whiskey on ice
So won't' someone dance with me to a waltz about whiskey
And turn these sad songs to lullabies
I don't need much of nothin', except for all your lovin'
And the waltz about whiskey on ice
I remember the night she sat down beside me
She cried love was a ring that won't end, well I was handed a lie
Now the only thing I know of a ring is the circle my glass leaves behind
So won't someone dance with me to a waltz about whiskey
And turn these sad songs to lullabies
I don't need much of nothin', except for all your lovin'
And a waltz about whiskey on ice
@gareththomas5176
Discovered this song about a year ago. Several hundred? Thousand? Listens later and it remains my number one song in 47 years of listening. Thank you.
@markholmes2801
I’ve been a fan since I heard Wildfire the first time on SiriusXM and the the subsequent Tides of a Teardrop album. My favorite song of theirs ebbs and flows with time- but I always come back to my favorite drinking song - Waltz About Whiskey.
@alexcavazos4708
This was my dad‘s favorite song he just died and I wish he could just listen to it one more time
@Eagles1986
This song is criminally underrated!
@timbuktew
If I had ever written only one song, I wouldn't mind if it had been this one.
@akimi2003
This is true country music. It’s also my 4 yo daughter’s favorite song at the moment, and mine for that matter.
@alphalphalete2601
"Now the only thing, I know of a ring is the circle my glass leaves behind."
Wow...brilliant; heartbreaking. Denver needs a visit.
@davidbarr707
This song has been running in a loop in my head for a week straight and im ok with that. Its music like this that tells me real country music isn't dead.
@kerricorser4562
I been alve a long time now, and I've seen and heard some of the greats in the art of music world.
You kids got it. You got it.
You have the special thing. It's all golden. Holy wah
@micah_lee
One of my favorite songs and I love to be able to see into them recording it. Going deep into the mandolin orange youtube hole. Thank y’all