When George Jones passed away in late April of this year, I made a note to share one of my favorite songs of his, “Bartender Blues.” Actually it’s a James Taylor song written in 1977.
“It’s hard to describe but it’s so tight and so sculpted. It was just remarkable to hear someone make that sound with a human voice. And it sounded like someone singing who had listened to a lot of steel guitar, the way he bends notes and phrases. To me it sounds like a steel guitar in a human voice.” — James Taylor in Billboard, April 27, 2013
Now, two months out I’m posting my note to share with my music friends. Click here to read a very thoughtful article in The New Republic, “Why George Jones Ranks With Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday.”
Bartender Blues
by James Taylor
Now I’m just a bartender
And I don’t like my work
But I don’t mind the money at all
I see lots of sad faces
And lots of bad cases
Of folks with their backs to the wall
Chorus:
But I need four walls around me to hold my life
To keep me from going a-stray
And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
To keep me from slipping away
I can light up your smokes
I can laugh at your jokes
I can watch you fall down on your knees
I can close down this bar
I can gas up my car
I can pack up and mail in my key
Chorus:
Now, the smoke fills the air
In this honky-tonk bar
And I’m thinking ’bout where I’d rather be
But I burned all my bridges
I sank all my ships
And I’m stranded at the edge of the sea
(Click On The Image And Watch On YouTube)
Becoming is Superior to Being 
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