[Short Instrumental Intro — acoustic guitar and pedal steel, 4 bars] [Verse 1 — warm gritty male baritone, intimate melodic country singing] She's standing in the hall In that old shirt of mine Asking if I'm coming to bed For the third damned time I tell her I'll be there Just gotta finish this last drink Truth is I can't stand being alone when the demons speak [Verse 2 — restrained, vulnerable, steady melodic phrasing] She's never asked for perfect Lord knows I never was She says she sees the good in me But I don't know how she does I hear my demons talking Soon as the lights go down So I pour another whiskey Try to drown them bastards out [Chorus — soulful soaring country melody, restrained emotional grit] There's a man behind the bottle That she's dying to know He's buried under memories He can't seem to let go She's reaching through the darkness I'm reaching for the proof That one more drink might kill the pain But it's killing her love too And God, I wish I knew how To let that woman through But there's a man behind the bottle Who don't know what to do [Short Instrumental Turnaround — 2 bars] [Verse 3 — wounded, expressive singing, steady pulse] She used to sit beside me And lay her head against my chest Now she sleeps with her back turned While I do what I do best I know she's getting tired Of loving half a man But every time I try to speak That glass is in my hand [Verse 4 — emotional clean singing, no spoken phrases] Last night I heard her crying Thought that I was fast asleep She whispered, "I don't need you fixed I just need you here with me" I wanted to reach for her Tell her everything inside But I lay there in the darkness And I let another moment die [Bridge — gently rising melodic country vocal, no spoken delivery] There's a ring around my finger And a ring upon this glass One reminds me hope still lingers One keeps drowning out my past Never asked me for better Knew I came with pain She just wanted me to hold her Instead of turning her away again [Final Verse — intimate heartbreak, melody softens] This morning she was leaving Suitcase sitting by the door She said, "I can't keep loving Someone who won't love me anymore" I tried to tell her I still do But the words just wouldn't come She kissed my cheek And I knew This time it's not enough [Final Chorus — aching melodic country singing, emotionally fuller, moderate tempo] There's a man behind the bottle That she tried so hard to know But he's buried under memories He still can't let them go She reached into the darkness Till there was nothing left to give And I kept drinking to forget The things she begged me to forgive And God, I wish I'd learned how To let that woman through Now there's a man behind the bottle With nobody left to lose [Outro — soft melodic singing, instruments gently thin] Her coffee cup's still sitting On the counter by the sink And for the first time in forever... I don't want another drink [Short Instrumental Ending — 2 bars] [End]
