Tell it to the Whiskey (Live from Tootsie's Orchid Lounge)

[Crowd Ambience / Colt Steps Toward Microphone] [Colt] Alright, Nashville... [Crowd Cheers] Man... What a damn night. [Applause] Before we do this last one... I just wanna say thank you. Seriously. Thank you to Tootsie's for lettin' us come in here and make a whole lotta noise tonight. [Crowd Cheers] Thank you to this incredible band behind me... [Applause / Colt Turns Toward Band] These boys have been makin' me sound a whole lot better than I actually am all night. [Band Laughs / Crowd Cheers] To everybody who came up here and shared this stage with me tonight... To old friends... New friends... And every one of y'all who walked through that door... Thank you. [Pause] You could've spent your night anywhere. And you spent it here with us. I don't take that shit for granted. [Crowd Applauds] We've played some old ones tonight... Some new ones... Some songs about love... Family... Fishin'... Bad decisions... [Crowd Laughs] And probably way too much alcohol. [Crowd Cheers] So... Seems only right we finish with this one. [Colt Picks First Notes] This is our last song tonight. It's called... Tell It to the Whiskey. [Crowd Cheers / Slowly Settles] [Verse 1 — Guitar Only] I don't pour my heart out easy Don't wear it on my sleeve But tonight these thoughts are heavy And they're weighin' down on me Bartender don't ask questions Just slides the bottle near When I can't say what I'm feelin'... I let the bourbon hear. [Pedal Steel Slowly Enters] [Chorus] So I tell it to the whiskey... All the words I can't say to you Every truth I'm too damn proud to lose When the night gets quiet... It cuts right through So I tell it to the whiskey... 'Cause I can't... Tell it to you. [Pedal Steel Lingers] [Verse 2] Your picture's still in my wallet Smilin' like you used to do I've rehearsed a thousand reasons But I choke when it comes to you So I talk to this glass like a preacher Confessin' sins I can't undo Yeah, the burn don't judge... It just listens... More faithful... Than I ever proved. [Piano Quietly Enters] [Chorus] So I tell it to the whiskey... All the words I can't say to you Every truth I'm too damn proud to lose When the night gets quiet... It cuts right through So I tell it to the whiskey... 'Cause I can't... Tell it to you. [Instrumental — Pedal Steel / Piano / Acoustic] [Band Slowly Falls Away] [Bridge — Colt & Guitar] Maybe someday... I'll find the nerve To let you know... You're still my world Maybe someday... I'll walk through your door And say all the things... I should've said before. [Pause] But until then... I'll keep pourin' mine... Into amber light... One sip... At a time. [Long Guitar Pause] [Colt — quietly] Funny thing about whiskey... [Pause] It'll listen all night. But it never tells you... What you wanna hear. [Pedal Steel Swells / Full Band Returns] [Final Chorus — Full Emotion] So I TELL IT TO THE WHISKEY... All the words I can't say to you Every truth I'm too damn proud to lose And when this whole damn room gets quiet... It cuts right through Yeah, I tell it to the whiskey... [Voice Cracks] 'Cause I still... Can't tell it... To you. [Band Holds / Harmonies Fade] [Pedal Steel Plays Final Phrase] [One By One, Every Instrument Drops Out] [Colt Alone — Fingerpicked Guitar] Yeah... I've told these walls... I've told this glass... Told myself... I'd leave you in the past. [Pause] But some things... You just can't make untrue. [Slower] So I'll tell it... To the whiskey... [Long Pause] Since I can't... Tell it... To you. [Final Acoustic Chord Rings] [Silence] [Several Seconds Pass] [Crowd Erupts Into Huge Applause / Whistles / Cheers] [Colt — over applause] Thank you, Nashville! [Crowd Gets Louder] Thank you, Tootsie's! I'm Colt Buckington Jr... Y'all get home safe... And God bless every damn one of ya! [Band Hits One Final Chord] [Sustained Crowd Applause / Whistles / Bar Ambience] [Recording Slowly Fades Out]