i'm just a bartender
i don't like my work
i don't mind the money at all
i see lots of sad faces
and lots of bad cases
of folks with their backs to the wall

i need four walls around me to hold my life
to keep me from going astray
a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
to keep me from slipping away

i can light up your smokes
and i'll laugh at your jokes
and i'll watch you fall down on your knees
close down this bar
gas up my car
pack up and mail in my key

i need four walls around me to hold my life
to keep me from going a-stray
a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
to keep me from slipping away

the smoke fills the air
in this honky-tonk bar
and i'm thinking about where i'd rather be
yeah
but i sunk all my bridges
i burned all my boats
i'm stranded at the edge of the sea
yeah

i need four walls around me to hold my life
to keep me from going astray
a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
to keep me from slipping away

i need four walls around me to hold my life
to keep me from going astray
a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight