'Wine Into Whiskey' by Tucker Wetmore – Lyrics & Meaning

Stemming from a seemingly simple teaser posted to TikTok, country newcomer Tucker Wetmore and his debut single 'Wine Into Whiskey' have achieved social media stardom – as well as a great deal of streaming success – to kick off 2024.

Since said teaser was shared to the platform on December 4, amassing 5.2M views, 528.4K likes and 12.8K comments to date, Wetmore decided to move forward with the release of 'Wine Into Whiskey' after achieving a great deal of positive feedback from TikTok users worldwide.

'Wine Into Whiskey' hit all music streaming services on February 23 – surpassing stars like Justin Timberlake, Selena Gomez, BTS and more on the charts almost instantaneously, and making Wetmore the first independent country artist to hit the Billboard Hot 100 since Oliver Anthony's 'Rich Men North of Richmond'.

Inspired by the not-so spectacular way men have treated his four sisters in the past – with the song said to “acknowledge self-sabotage and the struggle between a man’s nature and a partner’s genuine efforts to salvage the relationship” – the track tells a story that women all across the globe can relate to from a male perspective.

Creating a smash hit that almost all country music fans can connect with, it seems like everyone has developed an affinity towards Wetmore in some way, shape or form after hearing 'Wine Into Whiskey', ultimately solidifying his spot within the country music industry as a whole.

'Wine Into Whiskey' has been praised for its R&B undertones, with listeners comparing its infectious sound to something that more modern country artists – such as Morgan Wallen, Kane Brown or HARDY – would release.

With a hip hop-leaning beat running throughout the entirety of the track, which was co-written by Wetmore alongside Jacob Hackworth and Justin Ebach, the Washington native adds the perfect amount of country flair with his twangy vocals, incorporating true heartbreak and emotion into each and every lyric.

"Usually see her with some sauvignon blanc in her glass
Sipping, slow down, she ain't out tipping it back
But if you see her out tonight, she'll be flirting with Jack
Yeah, and I'm the only one to blame
Ain't the ninety-proof type but tonight it'll work
Anything to numb the pain or to drown out the hurt
Tried to tell her 'bout my kind and boy, did she learn (boy, did she learn)
I just ain't the type of soul you save
But she tried, and I did what I do best"

Coming off of what is seemingly a heartbreak for both parties, Wetmore opens by detailing the first time he has seen his former significant other since their split.

Usually slowly sipping a glass of wine, sauvignon blanc specifically, he sings that this woman will be “flirting with Jack” instead, which has an extremely intriguing double meaning. While she may be talking to a man named Jack at the bar – since she now appears to be single – Jack can also be a reference to Jack Daniel’s whiskey, especially due to the fact that alcohol (specifically whiskey) is a theme throughout the track as a whole.

Wetmore shifts the focus onto himself and his emotions, explaining to the listener that he will consume the strongest drinks possible in order to “numb the pain or to drown out the hurt” that he is feeling after seeing his ex-girlfriend at the same bar.

The final few lines of the first verse begin to tell the true story behind the song, which is about a woman who does everything in her power to make her relationship work, while the man is simultaneously destroying it due to his own struggles and self-sabotage. As Wetmore sings “I just ain't the type of soul you save / But she tried, and I did what I do best,” he touches on said struggles and self-sabotage, before explaining in the chorus the reasons for the breakup in particular.

"I took a good thing and I turned it into goodbye
Took the fire in her eyes, put it on ice
Turned that angel's world upside down
Dipped her wings in Tennessee brown
I turned her callin' me into callin' me a mistake
Turned her heart of gold into a heartbreak
If I was her, I'd damn sure hate me
I turned her love into pain and her wine into whiskey"

Opening the chorus by sharing that he “took a good thing” and then “turned it into goodbye,” Wetmore details the breakup, taking accountability and acknowledging that he broke his former significant other’s heart, all while utilizing a series of contrasts: fire and ice and, of course, wine and whiskey, to name a few.

"And she said, I was misunderstood but I proved her wrong
I'm the same old me that I've been all along
Now she's looking for some peace in a bottle of strong
Me and Number 7 gettin' gone"

In the second verse, Wetmore continues to take accountability, admitting that he was always “the same old [him],” despite his ex-girlfriend’s attempts to change his habits and salvage the relationship as a whole.

The final few lines reiterate that he and his former significant other are using alcohol to cope with the heartbreak, prior to diving into a second and third chorus.

Admitting that he was raised to treat a woman with respect, Wetmore shared in a recent interview the story of how 'Wine Into Whiskey' came to be, admitting that after sitting down with co-writers Jacob Hackworth and Justin Ebach, “it kind of unfolded into this like guy reflection type thing.”

While he could not relate to the lyrics himself, the Washington native drew inspiration from the heartbreaks that he had seen his four sisters experience in the past, shifting the stories to a male perspective instead.

“I was like, ‘Well I can’t really personally relate to this, but I grew up with four sisters, and I’ve seen like what they’ve gone through with different relationships throughout the years,” he added. “I felt like if the guy kind of knew what he was doing, would he really do it? It’s just one of those things of bringing light to guys just not being men.”

With his second single, 'Wind Up Missin’ You,' hitting all music streaming services on March 29, it's clear that Wetmore has an illustrious career ahead of him, filled with even more social media stardom and streaming success.

"Usually see her with some sauvignon blanc in her glass
Sipping, slow down, she ain't out tipping it back
But if you see her out tonight, she'll be flirting with Jack
Yeah, and I'm the only one to blame
Ain't the ninety-proof type but tonight it'll work
Anything to numb the pain or to drown out the hurt
Tried to tell her 'bout my kind and boy, did she learn (boy, did she learn)
I just ain't the type of soul you save
But she tried, and I did what I do best

I took a good thing and I turned it into goodbye
Took the fire in her eyes, put it on ice
Turned that angel's world upside down
Dipped her wings in Tennessee brown
I turned her callin' me into callin' me a mistake
Turned her heart of gold into a heartbreak
If I was her, I'd damn sure hate me
I turned her love into pain and her wine into whiskey

And she said, I was misunderstood but I proved her wrong
I'm the same old me that I've been all along
Now she's looking for some peace in a bottle of strong
Me and Number 7 gettin' gone

I took a good thing and I turned it into goodbye
Took the fire in her eyes, put it on ice
Turned that angel's world upside down
Dipped her wings in Tennessee brown
I turned her callin' me into callin' me a mistake
Turned her heart of gold into a heartbreak
If I was her, I'd damn sure hate me
I turned her love into pain and her wine into whiskey
Wine into whiskey

Yeah, she tried and I did what I do best

I took a good thing and I turned it into goodbye
Took the fire in her eyes, put it on ice
Turned that angel's world upside down
Dipped her wings in Tennessee brown
I turned her callin' me into callin' me a mistake
Turned her heart of gold into a heartbreak
If I was her, I'd damn sure hate me
I turned her love into pain and her wine into whiskey"

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