Rye Whiskey (Tex Ritter cover) Lyrics

Jack of Diamonds, Jack of Diamonds, I know you most of all
You've robbed my poor pockets of silver and gold
And whiskey, you villain, you've been my down fall
You've cuffed and you've kicked me but I loved you of old

Oh, whiskey, rye whiskey, whiskey, I cried
If I don't get rye whiskey I surely will die

Well, I go yonder mountain and build me a still
And I send you a gallon for a five dollar bill
Well, it's beefcake when I'm hungry, whiskey when I'm dry
And it's greenbacks when I'm hard off and hell when I die

I said, "Whiskey, rye whiskey, whiskey", I cried
"If I don't get rye whiskey I surely will die"

If the sea were made of Whiskey and I was a duck
I'd swim to the bottom and never come up
Oh, but the sea ain't made of Whiskey and I ain't a duck
So I'll play Jack of Diamonds and trust on my luck

I said, "Whiskey, rye whiskey, whiskey", I cried
"If I don't get rye whiskey I surely will die"

I said, "Whiskey, rye whiskey, whiskey", I cried
"If I don't get rye whiskey I surely will die"

Ohh, if I don't get rye whiskey I surely will die
3 Meanings

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Cover art for Rye Whiskey (Tex Ritter cover) lyrics by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

I'm not sure this song is meant to be funny but it cracks me up.

@ndenial My emotions are very different

Cover art for Rye Whiskey (Tex Ritter cover) lyrics by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

It's not just you... I'm sure it's tongue-in-cheek, the duck gives it away. Come on, we all expected a different rhyme, didn't we?!

Cover art for Rye Whiskey (Tex Ritter cover) lyrics by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

It's a folk song, sometimes known as Jack of Diamonds.

 
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