Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf
The Killers Lyrics

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Shakin' like the Devil when she lets me go
Got a new place and how it's so much better
Falling over myself, the televisions on
I turn it off and smile
Oh, Jennifer, you know I always tried
Before you say goodbye

Leave the bourbon on the shelf

And I'll drink it by myself
And I love you endlessly
Darling don't you see I'm not satisfied
Until I hold you tight
Give me one more chance tonight
And I swear I'll make it right
But you ain't got time for this
And that wreckin' bell is ringin'
And I'm not satisfied
Until I hold you

Jennifer, tell me where I stand
And who's that other boy holdin' your hand?
Oh, Jennifer, you know I've always tried
Before you say goodbye

Leave the bourbon on the shelf
And I'll drink it by myself
And I never liked your hair or those people that you lie with
And I'm not satisfied
Until I hold you tight
And I love you endlessly
Darling don't you see I can't be satisfied
Until I hold you tight

Leave the bourbon on the shelf
And I'll drink it by myself
And I love you endlessly

Darling don't you see
I'm not satisfied

Overall Meaning

In The Killers' song "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf," the singer is struggling to come to terms with a recent break-up. He's moved into a new place that's supposed to be better, but he's falling over himself and shaking like the devil because he's so upset. He turns off the TV and smiles, thinking about the woman he's lost. He asks Jennifer to give him one more chance to make things right, promising that he'll hold her tight and love her endlessly.

However, Jennifer has already moved on and is seeing another boy. The singer is jealous and angry, saying that he never liked her hair or the people she lies with. He just wants her back, and he's not satisfied until he's holding her tight. He repeats the refrain "Leave the bourbon on the shelf" to show that he's going to drown his sorrows alone.

The song is a part of The Killers' "Murder Trilogy," which also includes "Midnight Show" and "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine." In each song, a different character is involved in a murder or crime of passion. "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" is the first song in the trilogy and sets the stage for the rest of the story.

Line by Line Meaning

Shakin' like the Devil when she lets me go
I feel like I'm in hell when Jennifer leaves me

Got a new place and how it's so much better
I moved to a new place, hoping it would be better without Jennifer

Falling over myself, the televisions on
I'm a mess, sitting in front of the TV

I turn it off and smile
I try to distract myself from the pain of Jennifer leaving

Oh, Jennifer, you know I always tried
Jennifer, I did my best to make us work

Before you say goodbye
Please don't leave me yet

Leave the bourbon on the shelf
Don't drink, even though I want to drown my pain

And I'll drink it by myself
I'll drink anyway, alone

And I love you endlessly
I love you more than anything

Darling don't you see I'm not satisfied
I'm not happy without you

Until I hold you tight
I need to feel close to you

Give me one more chance tonight
Please give me another chance

And I swear I'll make it right
I promise to fix things

But you ain't got time for this
You're not interested in me anymore

And that wreckin' bell is ringin'
I know it's over

And I'm not satisfied
I can't be happy without you

Jennifer, tell me where I stand
Please tell me if there's any hope left for us

And who's that other boy holdin' your hand?
Are you with someone else now?

And I never liked your hair or those people that you lie with
I was jealous of the people you spent time with

And I love you endlessly
I still love you more than anything

Darling don't you see I can't be satisfied
I need you to be happy

Leave the bourbon on the shelf
I know drinking won't solve anything

And I'll drink it by myself
But I'll drink alone anyway

And I love you endlessly
I will always love you

Darling don't you see
Please understand how much you mean to me

I'm not satisfied
I will never be happy without you

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRANDON FLOWERS, DAVE BRENT KEUNING, MARK AUGUST STOERMER, RONNIE JR. VANNUCCI

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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