He was too old for that bar
But it was the only one around
And he needed a beer
So that's where he was found
He took an empty stool
Amid the jocks and punks
He could take them all to school
When it came to being drunks
Miles from home again
He was overdrawn on luck
Hoping that tomorrow
They'd find that part for his truck
So he drank a beer, then two
As a rock band hit the stage
When all he wanted to do
Was have a drink with folks his age
(Refrain:)
Then the beer it turned to whiskey
The barmaid ran a tab
You can hit freefall until last call
When you're traveling by cab
There were young girls in the mirror
With no trouble on their minds
As the picture became clearer
He stared ahead just to look behind
Then the band kicked off their first set
They wore their guitars well
There was anger, light and speed,
Every whistle, every bell
They had smoke bombs, they had lasers
The singer banged his tambourine
But it's hard to play the music
When you're a pinball machine
Then the drummer took a lighter
And set fire to his sticks
As the barmaid squealed with laughter
And said, "That's one of my favorite tricks."
(Refrain)
As the whiskey took the driver's seat
He touched his wedding ring
He kept thinking of Chuck Berry,
Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King
Then the band it took a break
And it was possible to talk
As the barmaid poured a free one
She said, "Don't they really rock?"
At first he had no words
So he drank his whiskey down
Then he slid off his barstool
And stood on shaky ground.
He said, "That ain't rock'n'roll.
That's just Vaudeville plugging in."
And she looked up and said,
"Ain't that the way it's always been?"
(Refrain #2:)
The beer will turn to whiskey
The barmaid runs a tab
The years spin by in a free fall
Till you're traveling by cab