‘Good Times’ by Koe Wetzel – Lyrics & Meaning

Koe Wetzel has been an utter force since arriving in the alt-country scene a few years back.

With his 2020 major label debut, Sellout, and his 2022 follow-up, Hell Paso, he's built up a loyal (and ravenous) fanbase as he's masterfully blurred the lines between country, rock, hip hop and '90s grunge, racking up upwards of 3 billion streams and taking his music all across the globe.

In mid-July of 2024, the Texas singer-songwriter further added on to his ever-evolving sound with the release of 9 Lives. Finding a much more vulnerable and mature Wetzel – though still rife with his signature brand of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll – the project included early standouts like 'Sweet Dreams,' the Jessie Murph-aided 'High Road' and the long-awaited fan-favorite, 'Casamigos.'

The fun doesn't end there, though, as the country-rocker added an extra bonus track to the bunch on October 18. Dubbed 'Good Times,' the introspective offering sees Wetzel putting his party days and hell-raising schemes behind him.

'Good Times' sounds like the quintessential Koe Wetzel song, with one foot planted in country sensibilities and the other in rock instrumentation.

As ever produced by Gabe Simon, who's the master behind all of the production on 9 Lives, it's a mid-tempo stomper that embraces the moodiness that Wetzel often emits across his music.

The three and a half opus was penned by Wetzel and Simon alongside Charlie Handsome, Josh Serrato and Steph Jones, finding the rebel rouser reckoning with his past of poor decisions as his smokey voice soars towards its conclusion.

"Running on crushed up pills
Racking up bar tab bills
Crawling in and out of caves
Just to find my thrill
I been on one so long
Taking one off feels wrong
Everybody knows that that’s my deal

This never ending bender I’ve been waiting on
When its long gone, I’m gonna be lonely"

Our song begins with the narrator looking back on his choices. Using drugs and alcohol to nurse himself, he explains that for years he's just been trying to chase life's thrills one night at a time.

While he's been on benders and highs for so long at this point, he notes that the idea of being sober or changing his behavior at this point feels wrong. Yet, the unavoidable truth is that the crash is bound to come no matter how hard he tries to outrun it... and he knows it.

"The good times, they don't need me if I take it easy
The party's gonna keep on going when I'm gone
I stop drinking the whiskey, but she won't even miss me
She's gonna find another one to keep her warm
Pounding up in my head, strangers up in my bed
Forgetting the best years of my life
'Cause those good times, they don't need me
They don't need me"

After doing some soul searching, and probably running into his fair share of trouble, the singer has realized that while he may be chasing the good times, the good times don't need him to be had. Whether he's there or not, the parties will keep going and the booze will keep flowing.

The chorus echoes the feelings of FOMO (fear of missing out) that we all often feel, but taken to down a darker path. Now that he's older and hopefully a little wiser, the narrator is realizing that he doesn't need to worry about chasing all of these highs for fear of missing one.

Because of this constant struggle and fear, he's missed out on what should have been some of the best times of his life, but now that he's taken this moment of introspection, hopefully there's still some options for him to make up for lost time.

"Tearing up them hotel rooms
Breaking girls hearts in two
Just another day that I’m still missing
Like them 4 am's
Tryna figure out where I am
Reposado and the room still spinnin'

This never-ending bender I've been waiting on
When it's done, I'm gonna be lonely"

Further looking back on his questionable behavior, full of one night stands, destroyed hotel rooms and who knows what else, he explains that he's spent so much time searching for himself but ultimately letting the drugs and alcohol decide for him.

However, that's all hopefully in the past now as he continues down this new path.

"The good times, they don't need me if I take it easy
The party's gonna keep on going when I'm gone
I stop drinking the whiskey, but she won't even miss me
She's gonna find another one to keep her warm
Pounding up in my head, strangers up in my bed
Forgetting the best years of my life
Yeah, those good times, they don't need me
They don't need me
Yeah, those good times"

While Wetzel hasn't shared much about the 9 Lives bonus track, he has explained that the project as a whole is all about growth and his own personal evolution as an artist.

“Every record’s almost turning a new leaf, always a left turn because of how honest I am. I want fans to know that there's a different side of me, not just the sex, drugs, and rock & roll Koe that they may have heard about online,” Wetzel shares.

“I've grown up a little bit. I’m no longer the 20-year-old kid that's partying down and getting thrown in jail all the time," he adds. "9 Lives reveals a vulnerable side that people may not be used to hearing.”

Running on crushed up pills
Racking up bar tab bills
Crawling in and out of caves
Just to find my thrill
I been on one so long
Taking one off feels wrong
Everybody knows that that’s my deal

This never ending bender I’ve been waiting on
When its long gone, I’m gonna be lonely

The good times, they don't need me if I take it easy
The party's gonna keep on going when I'm gone
I stop drinking the whiskey, but she won't even miss me
She's gonna find another one to keep her warm
Pounding up in my head, strangers up in my bed
Forgetting the best years of my life
'Cause those good times, they don't need me
They don't need me

Tearing up them hotel rooms
Breaking girls hearts in two
Just another day that I’m still missing
Like them 4 am's
Tryna figure out where I am
Reposado and the room still spinnin'

This never-ending bender I've been waiting on
When it's done, I'm gonna be lonely

The good times, they don't need me if I take it easy
The party's gonna keep on going when I'm gone
I stop drinking the whiskey, but she won't even miss me
She's gonna find another one to keep her warm
Pounding up in my head, strangers up in my bed
Forgetting the best years of my life
Yeah, those good times, they don't need me
They don't need me
Yeah, those good times

The good times, they don't need me, and if I take it easy
The party's gonna keep on going when I'm gone
I stop drinking the whiskey, but she won't even miss me
She's gonna find another one to keep her warm
Pounding up in my head, strangers up in my bed
Forgetting the best years of my life
Yeah those good times, they don't need me
Yeah, these good times, they don't need me
Yeah, these good times, they don't, they don't, they don't

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