Song #21: Hank Williams III - "Six Pack of Beer"

Song #21: Hank Williams III - "Six Pack of Beer" (2008)

Damn Right, Rebel Proud

"Well, workin' real hard ain't hard to do, when you got you a lot of money comin' to you. But I ain't got a dime, so I'll just sit here. Even though I'm broke, I got a six pack of beer."

Much like John Conlee's "Common Man" (number eighty-three on "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski"), Hank Williams III's "Six Pack of Beer" illustrates a common-ground on which many blue collar folks can relate. The song concerns III, likely in a state of reflection and intimacy with himself, stating how he lives in a shack on a dirty road in the country, making little cash, but still finds enough pocket change that amounts to the price of a six pack of beer. The song isn't about alcoholism, nor is it about addiction, but it's rather about being able to salvage what little money you have, that really should be put to other things, to something that provides one with great pleasure and solace. 

III's vocals are top-notch on this track, briskly-paced and raspy, put to an effective banjo instrumentation. This was the very first song by III I had ever heard. One Sunday morning in May 2010, I remember paging through a Best Buy catalog and seeing a picture for Hank Williams III's new album Rebel Within, which was due out that coming Tuesday. I immediately grabbed my phone and looked up other songs by Hank Williams III, quickly finding "Six Pack of Beer," picking it because I felt the title alone could spawn a great song, and played it loud. Before I knew it, I downloaded half the songs from III's albums Damn Right, Rebel Proud (the album this particular song is on) and Straight to Hell. I loved III's brand of outlaw, neotraditional country, uncompromising to the manufactured and plastic sound of contemporary Nashville and pop country music, and basking in the light of the pioneering outlaw/heartbreak country songs the genre was predicated off.

To this day, Hank Williams III remains one of my favorite working artists and "Six Pack of Beer" is a testament to his character and his work at keeping a genre alive. Here's to earning it.

Give "Six Pack of Beer" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CuC-r0wwpg