The song "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me" by Shooter Jennings is a country ballad that explores the theme of heartbreak and coping with the pain through alcohol. The lyrics depict a narrator who is drowning his sorrows in a bar, attempting to numb the memories of a lost love. The song begins with the narrator realizing that it's four in the morning and all the bars have closed, implying that he has been drinking heavily throughout the night. He confesses that he must have drunk to the point of causing a scene, as indicated by his head on the wheel and the horn honking. This behavior suggests that he is regularly coming home drunk, which has become a pattern in his life. In the chorus, the narrator expresses that if drinking doesn't lead to his demise, the memories of his lost love will be the ones that ultimately kill him. He feels unable to withstand the pain any longer, emphasizing the overwhelming emotions he experiences due to the breakup. The comparison of his emotions to the blood in his body reveals the intensity of his feelings and the idea that they are consuming him. As he stumbles and trips, the narrator recognizes that his body is slowly deteriorating, but he is steadfast in his footsteps. The mention of ten bottles highlights the excessive amount of alcohol he has consumed in attempts to forget about his ex-partner. Despite these efforts, the memory of the lost love still lingers, haunting him even as he lies on the ground. Overall, the song portrays a broken-hearted individual who relies on alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with the pain of a failed relationship. The lyrics highlight the desperate struggle between self-destruction through excessive drinking and the lingering memories of lost love.
