Mini Playlist: Coffee Is Cheaper Than Booze

When it comes to country songs about delicious beverages, coffee gets the short end of the swizzle stick. Sure, beer, whiskey and wine get all the attention, but when it comes down to it, coffee is the life-giving elixir that keeps us going. Bonus: it’s cheaper than booze and doesn’t make you puke.

Out of all the bad stuff happening to Willie Nelson in “The Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning,” spilling all the coffee is probably the worst. Ladies come and go, but coffee will always be there in the morning. Pour yourself a new cup and check out these five songs celebrating the most wonderful of all beverages.

• 5. “One More Cup of Coffee” – Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands
  This Bob Dylan song is transformed into a rootsy dirge by the former Screaming Trees drummer, now the frontman for his own alt-country band.
• 4. “Don’t Forget the Coffee, Billy Joe” – Tom T. Hall
  Here’s a sad look into a home stricken by poverty and illness; lyrics just don’t get more gutwrenching than “Daddy couldn’t find work then and I was just a child/And God was on vacation for a while.” But despite all these hardships, life is made just a little bit more bearable when you’ve got a steaming mug in front of you.
• 3. “I’ll Have Another Cup of Coffee” – Cal Smith
  An ex stops by with an alimony payment and sticks around for a cup. And then it gets super sad when Smith sings: “Tell the kids I came by a while last night/And I kissed them while they slept so tight/Make my cup of coffee sweet and make it warm/Just the way you used to be inside my arms.” Poor bastard.
• 2. “Coffee’s Cold” – Abigail Washburn
  Life pretty much sucks in this song. Not only do you get sold for “half a dollar bill,” but your coffee’s cold too. Talk about a double whammy.
• 1. “Coffee Coffee Coffee” – Dave Dudley
  Truck drivers–at least the ones in country music–are known for using the occasional stimulant to stay awake on the road. But who needs bennies when you’ve got hot coffee that’s “just like music from a band.” The prolific Tom T. Hall wrote this one, too…perhaps a switch to decaf is in order, buddy.

Listen to this playlist on Rhapsody