‘Songs About Whiskey’ by Anne Wilson - Lyrics & Meaning

‘Songs About Whiskey’ captures the spirit of Anne Wilson's widely lauded 2024 album, REBEL, which fuses two of her primary muses in life - her faith and country music. Despite what the title implies, ’Songs About Whiskey’ is not, in fact, about whiskey.

While ‘God & Country’ serves as the thematic keystone of the record, ‘Songs About Whiskey’ finds the Kentucky prodigy laying out her mission statement in her most playful, swaggering and enchanting way yet. When Anne Wilson announced she was venturing into country music, following her Grammy-nominated Contemporary Christian debut, My Jesus, the news was met with excitement from both camps.

However, there was also an underlying hint of skepticism as to whether Anne could authentically and engagingly combine these two genres, without losing herself in the mix. When REBEL arrived, it was clear any such concerns were severely misplaced, with the record being a lucid, vibrant portrayal of the various influences and traits that make Anne Wilson Anne Wilson. As a result, when you hear ‘Songs About Whiskey’, you can't help but feel Anne is winking at those who questioned her decision to experiment with more country-leaning textures and sonics.

The track was accompanied by a raucous music video which finds Anne Wilson performing in a dive bar alongside her band, sister, close friends and a group of extras from a Nashville prayer ministry. It epitomises the juxtaposition that pervades ’Songs About Whiskey’, with this video marking the first time Anne had ever been in a bar.

‘Songs About Whiskey’ is one of the most overtly ‘country’ tracks from REBEL, with Anne Wilson's charismatic, soul-stirring vocals coalescing with the rugged, twang-infused electric guitars. It's a high-energy, uptempo anthem that mirrors the levity of the lyrics, with Anne even introducing the faint cry of steel towards the end, which in turn accentuates the classic country ambience of the song.

The majority of the accompaniment is stripped away as Anne Wilson kicks off the final hook, with Anne crooning alongside the subtle strum of a guitar and a rhythmic clap.

This accentuates the force of the rowdy electric guitars and drums when they're reintroduced halfway through the chorus, contributing to ‘Songs About Whiskey’s rousing finale.

“Turned the radio on my drive today
Heard a whole lot of songs 'bout a whole bunch of things
I knew all the words but I couldn't relate
'Cause my three chords and the truth is
I ain't no preacher and I ain't no judge
My straight and narrow's been a little bit rough
Ain't tryin' to bible belt kill the buzz
'Cause God loves country music”

At the heart of the track is Anne Wilson's determination to use her platform to highlight what means the most to her, which is her belief in Jesus, rather than country tropes, such as whiskey. Despite again showcasing how she's undoubtedly a ‘REBEL’ by eschewing the drinking culture that often pervades country songs, it never feels like Anne is being judgemental or even critical of her beloved country music. Rather, she's simply explaining why she chooses to sing about God, Jesus and her spirituality, instead of toeing the line and writing drinking songs.

’Songs About Whiskey’ begins with Anne describing how she was listening to Country Radio while driving, but struggled to relate to the lyrics. Again, she underlines that she's far from perfect herself, evocatively portraying her “straight and narrow” as being “a little bit rough”. Nonetheless, she yearns to hear more country music being played on the airwaves exploring topics that resonate with her.

Anne Wilson references the famous US ‘Bible Belt’, which consists of states that are generally seen as being predominantly Christian. The exact span of the Bible Belt is not entirely fixed, but it's generally seen as including Anne's home-state of Kentucky.

She emphasises, though, that she's not trying to “kill the buzz” by requesting more faith-driven songs, because - as she conveys on ‘God & Country’ - “God loves country music”. Anne isn't striving to replace country music with Christian music, rather, she's aiming to bring God back into the genre. Religion and country have always been intricately intertwined, with leading figures in the genre such as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood all releasing gospel albums.

“I've heard songs about Jack Daniels
Songs about Jim Beam
Heard songs about one night regrets
Neon and nicotine
I guess I'm just kinda fixed on
The only thing that's ever fixed me
That's why I sing songs about Jesus
Instead of singin' songs about whiskey”

Anne Wilson name-checks Jack Daniels’ famous Tennessee whiskey and Jim Beam's Kentucky bourbon, both of which are regular features in modern country music.

She explains how she's heard plenty of country songs about neon-soaked, smoke-filled dive bars and guilt-riddled one-night-stands, before outlining how these themes have never struck a chord with her. We get a witty play on words here, as Anne croons, “I guess I'm just kinda fixed on / The only thing that's ever fixed me”.

Anne Wilson cites Jesus as the only one who's ever been able to save and heal her when she's been struggling, which is why her faith is her favourite topic to sing about. The juxtaposition between Jesus and whiskey is depicted in the ‘Songs About Whiskey’ music video, with Anne Wilson pointedly bringing her gospel-inspired music inside a dive bar. Anne later discussed how this encapsulates her overall drive to bring Jesus to places he isn't usually associated with.

“Like whеn Johnny Cash met Billy Graham
Went from raisin' hell to raisin' hands
That back pеw brought me on back again
Praise God I saw the light
Now my last call is when he calls me home
My dead end street is now a street of gold
They say sing about the things you know
And Heaven knows that's why”

Despite facing a number of demons during his career, Johnny Cash went on to become synonymous with his faith. The country icon became good friends with US evangelist, Billy Graham, and Anne uses their relationship as a metaphor for the way in which she seamlessly combines country and Contemporary Christian music.

She pays tribute to how Johnny Cash progressed from “raisin’ hell’ to “raisin” hands” towards God, before expressing her gratitude for her own journey towards Christianity. Anne sprinkles in another satisfying piece of wordplay as she describes how her “last call” - a phrase usually used to denote the final round of drinks at a bar - is when God “calls” her home to Heaven. The ‘Strong’ singer-songwriter continues the flurry of contrasts by emphasising how her faith has given her belief and optimism in the promise of the gold streets of Heaven, which has replaced her previous perspective of being on a hopeless “dead end street”.

“I've heard songs about Jack Daniels
Songs about Jim Beam
They'll fill your cup but won't fill you up
That ain't why I sing
I guess I'm just kinda fixed on
The only thing that's ever fixed me
That's why I sing songs about Jesus
Instead of singin' songs about whiskey”

Anne Wilson offers a twist on the chorus for its final iteration, by swapping the lines “Heard songs about one night regrets / Neon and nicotine” for “They'll fill your cup but won't fill you up / That ain't why I sing”, as she again flips a term linked to drinking into a faith-filled cri-de-coeur. Anne muses that whiskey will “fill your cup”, but it won't “fill you up” emotionally or spiritually, in the way her belief in Jesus does.

In her 2024 interview with Holler, Anne Wilson delved into the inspiration behind ’Songs About Whiskey’, “We were halfway through writing the record, and then we were like, ‘Okay, how can Anne Wilson write a song about whiskey...’ We're not talking about drinking the whiskey, we're just talking about singing about it”.

She expanded, “As an artist, I love doing something different, because there are so many songs about whiskey. I wanted to write a song about what I sing about, which is my faith and the things that matter to me most. We've performed that song a few times already, and the crowd loves it. No matter if I'm singing it in a bar or in a church, both sides love it. It feels good to have a song that's fun like that”.

“Turned the radio on my drive today
Heard a whole lot of songs 'bout a whole bunch of things
I knew all the words but I couldn't relate
'Cause my three chords and the truth is
I ain't no preacher and I ain't no judge
My straight and narrow's been a little bit rough
Ain't tryin' to bible belt kill the buzz
'Cause God loves country music

-

I've heard songs about Jack Daniels
Songs about Jim Beam
Heard songs about one night regrets
Neon and nicotine
I guess I'm just kinda fixed on
The only thing that's ever fixed me
That's why I sing songs about Jesus
Instead of singin' songs about whiskey

-

Like whеn Johnny Cash met Billy Graham
Went from raisin' hell to raisin' hands
That back pеw brought me on back again
Praise God I saw the light
Now my last call is when he calls me home
My dead end street is now a street of gold
They say sing about the things you know
And Heaven knows that's why

-

I've heard songs about Jack Daniels
Songs about Jim Beam
Heard songs about one night regrets
Neon and nicotine
I guess I'm just kinda fixed on
The only thing that's ever fixed me
That's why I sing songs about Jesus
Instead of singin' songs about whiskey

-

I've heard songs about Jack Daniels
Songs about Jim Beam
They'll fill your cup but won't fill you up
That ain't why I sing
I guess I'm just kinda fixed on
The only thing that's ever fixed me
That's why I sing songs about Jesus
Instead of singin' songs about whiskey

-

Oh woah, woah, oh-oh
That's why I sing songs about Jesus
Instead of singin' songs about whiskey”

For more on Anne Wilson, see below: