‘Morning Bail’ by Gavin Adcock - Lyrics & Meaning

On May 21st, 2025, news broke that Gavin Adcock had been arrested on a charge of reckless driving and an open container violation, with the fast-emerging country artist subsequently released in the early hours, after posting a bond of $1,000.

Then, Adcock revealed that he'd be dropping a song seemingly inspired by the arrest the following week, titled, ‘Morning Bail’. He explained, however, that he'd penned this track a while back, and the timing simply felt appropriate, with the modern-day outlaw releasing a range of mugshot-themed merchandise t-shirts in tandem.

Despite it's mournful, despairing narrative, the composition of ‘Morning Bail’ carries a light, breezy feel, with Adcock's conversational drawl drifting across the rhythmic instrumental. The distinctive electric guitar riff is the centrepiece, giving this track a playful swagger that intentionally offsets the potential weight of the lyrics.

“Woke up with a handcuff bruise
Folgers with the boys in blue
Deadbolt on a steel beam door
Bare feet on a concrete floor
Damn, what a start to the day
Guess I'll just sit here and rot
Hey mister, can I get a copy of the mugshot?”

‘Morning Bail’ opens with Gavin Adcock hazily recalling the events of the night before, as he wakes up with a bruise around his wrists because of the tight handcuffs. In this scene, he's still in the jail-cell, sipping some Folgers coffee with the police, before Adcock jokingly asks, “Hey mister can I get a copy of the mugshot?”

“Last thing I remember, I forgot to eat dinner
Then I started sipping liquor and it all went dark
Ever since her leaving, I've been bottom barrel sinking
Man, I gotta quit drinking on a broken heart
Guess I was hitting it hard, woke up in a cell
Blew my money at the bar, now I can't make morning bail”

He then begins to try and piece together what happened - Hangover-style - remembering that he forgot to have dinner, which will have exacerbated the effects of the alcohol.

Adcock describes it all going ‘dark’, suggesting he blacked out at a certain point, as well as implying that things got ‘dark’ in the sense of getting gloomy, because his heartbreak resurfaced. He cites this as the reason for his all-night binge-drinking bender.

“They said I got onе call
Walked up to the phone on thе wall
So much for "Let's stay friends"
She didn't answer again
Damn, down on my luck
Don't know what I did, but I know this much”

Gavin Adcock retraces the steps made by Noah Kahan in his iconic earworm, ‘Dial Drunk’, when he uses his one phone-call when he's arrested to call the ex he's been missing. Like the protagonist in ‘Dial Drunk’, though, Adcock's old flame doesn't answer.

When announcing the surprise release, Gavin Adcock reflected on the circumstances of his arrest in May 2025, “I bought my dream car.. a 1973 Dodge Challenger. Over the past few months I’ve been putting money into it, getting it running as good as new, and decided I wanted to take it for a joy ride. The car ran great. I got pulled over and arrested for reckless driving going 103 in Wilson County, TN”.

The Georgia prodigy clarified that ‘Morning Bail’ wasn't inspired by this specific arrest, but ended up being somewhat prophetic, “I wrote this song a few months back and planned to put it out on the album, but I figured there’s no better time than now”.

“Woke up with a handcuff bruise
Folgers with the boys in blue
Deadbolt on a steel beam door
Bare feet on a concrete floor
Damn, what a start to the day
Guess I'll just sit here and rot
Hey mister, can I get a copy of the mugshot?

-

Last thing I remember, I forgot to eat dinner
Then I started sipping liquor and it all went dark
Ever since her leaving, I've been bottom barrel sinking
Man, I gotta quit drinking on a broken heart
Guess I was hitting it hard, woke up in a cell
Blew my money at the bar, now I can't make morning bail

-

They said I got onе call
Walked up to the phone on thе wall
So much for "Let's stay friends"
She didn't answer again
Damn, down on my luck
Don't know what I did, but I know this much

-

Last thing I remember, I forgot to eat dinner
Then I started sipping liquor and it all went dark
Ever since her leaving, I've been bottom barrel sinking
Man, I gotta quit drinking on a broken heart
Guess I was hitting it hard, woke up in a cell
Blew my money at the bar, now I can't make morning bail

-

Last thing I remember, I forgot to eat dinner
Then I started sipping liquor and it all went dark
Ever since her leaving, I've been bottom barrel sinking
Man, I gotta quit drinking on a broken heart
Guess I was hitting it hard, woke up in a cell
Blew my money at the bar, now I can't make morning bail”

For more on Gavin Adcock, see below: