‘After All The Bars Are Closed’ by Thomas Rhett - Lyrics & Meaning

The final song to arrive ahead of Thomas Rhett's keenly awaited seventh studio album, ‘After All The Bars Are Closed’ follows in a similar vein to the lead single, ‘Beautiful As You’.

Once again capturing the rose-tinted euphoria of being in love, TR croons warmly about how he wishes the night could last forever. Endearingly, just like all the other tracks on the new album, ‘After All The Bars Are Closed’ was penned About A Woman.

Specifically, Thomas Rhett's wife of over a decade, Lauren, who has served as the muse for a plethora of the Rhett's hits, from ‘Die a Happy Man’ to ‘Angels (Don't Always Have Wings)’.

Before he announced About A Woman in early 2024, fans weren't sure whether Thomas Rhett would be extending the sleek, pop-infused sound of 2022's Where We Started or stripping things back for his long-promised Country Again: Side B project.

‘After All The Bars Are Closed’ makes it clear he's opted for the former, with TR's smooth vocals coasting breezily across an atmospheric, piano-driven instrumental and an emphatic beat. As the track progresses, a comforting guitar riff gains prominence, with the easygoing composition cushioning Rhett's evocative delivery.

“After all the bars are closed
Tell me where you wanna go
We can find a place to park, open a bottle and our hearts
If you want, I'll tell you anything you wanna know
After everybody leaves
And this party's just you and me
We don't gotta say we're done, we can just wait up on the sun
We still got a lot of good night left to go
After all the bars are closed”

The driving force of ’After All The Bars Are Closed’ is Thomas Rhett's yearning to keep the flame burning throughout the night. He's having such a great time with his partner that he doesn't want to call it quits, outlining his hopes of keeping the good vibes flowing long after last call. TR utilises a clever piece of wordplay, as he suggests they park somewhere and ‘open’ both a bottle of wine and their hearts.

“And they play the last song
Blow out the neon
Don't gotta go home
But we can't stay here
And them records all spun
But the dancin' ain't done
The night's only begun
We go anywhere
Take a ride to the boondocks
To my truck, to my boombox, yeah
Secret spot, maybe you got”

Thomas Rhett explains that the bar they're currently in is about to shut up shop, but that doesn't mean the night has to end there. He underlines that he's happy to drive his lover wherever she wants to go, before painting a sweet, bucolic image of them listening to some country music on the speakers way out in the boondocks.

“And you kiss me like that
Like a shot of straight Jack
Baby, you're my Nightcap
Take you right back
After them after hours
Be your bartender on a kitchen counter
Wrappin' up the night with my arms right around you
Baby, now we're talkin'”

TR underlines how addicted he is to his partner's love, describing her kiss as having the same intoxicating impact on him as a shot of Jack Daniel's whiskey. He describes her as his nightcap, emphasising that she's the last thing he wants to experience before going to sleep. The scene has shifted here from the boondocks to Thomas and Lauren’s kitchen, creating a more homey, cosy feel compared to the previous verse. It almost feels like the first verse is a snapshot of TR and Lauren when they were first dating, with the second verse portraying their married life.

“No, I don't care what we do
On the dark side of the moon
Just as long as I'm with you when it's time to go
After all the bars are closed
All the bars are closed”

TR concludes be reiterating that he doesn't mind what they do “on the dark side of the moon”, symbolising how they'll be awake and celebrating in the early hours while the ‘dark’ side of the moon is up - i.e. the side that people don't usually see, because they're asleep. Whatever time it is and wherever they decide to go, heartwarmingly, all that matters to Thomas Rhett is that they're together.

Thomas Rhett hasn't yet explained in-depth how ‘After All The Bars Are Closed’ came about, but TR did take to socials in the lead-up to its release to emphasise his excitement about finally getting to share the track with his ‘Home Team’ fanbase, “My new album comes out in TWO WEEKS from right now. We’re celebrating with one more song... “After All The Bars Are Closed” is out now. Y’all go turn it up!”.

In a June post, the Georgia hitmaker explained how joy was a deciding factor when compiling the album as a whole, “I’ve been working on this since last April and I can’t wait for y’all to hear it. I genuinely think this will be y’all’s favorite record of mine. 14 tracks that put a smile on my face - I hope they will do the same for you 🤘”.

“After all the bars are closed
Tell me where you wanna go
We can find a place to park, open a bottle and our hearts
If you want, I'll tell you anything you wanna know
After everybody leaves
And this party's just you and me
We don't gotta say we're done, we can just wait up on the sun
We still got a lot of good night left to go
After all the bars are closed

-

And they play the last song
Blow out the neon
Don't gotta go home
But we can't stay here
And them records all spun
But the dancin' ain't done
The night's only begun
We go anywhere
Take a ride to the boondocks
To my truck, to my boombox, yeah
Secret spot, maybe you got

-

After all the bars are closed
Tell me where you wanna go
We can find a place to park, open a bottle and our hearts
If you want, I'll tell you anything you wanna know
After everybody leaves
And this party's just you and me
We don't gotta say we're done, we can just wait up on the sun
We still got a lot of good night left to go
After all the bars are closed

-

And you kiss me like that
Like a shot of straight Jack
Baby, you're my Nightcap
Take you right back
After them after hours
Be your bartender on a kitchen counter
Wrappin' up the night with my arms right around you
Baby, now we're talkin'

-

After all the bars are closed (All the bars are closed)
Tell me where you wanna go (Where you wanna go?)
We can find a place to park, open a bottle and our hearts
If you want, I'll tell you anything you wanna know
After everybody leaves (After everybody leaves)
And this party's just you and me (This party's just you and me)
We don't gotta say we're done, we can just wait up on the sun
We still got a lot of moonlight left to go
After all the bars are closed

-

No, I don't care what we do
On the dark side of the moon
Just as long as I'm with you when it's time to go
After all the bars are closed
All the bars are closed”

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