Now I'm just a bartender
  And I don't like my work
  But 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
  
  Chorus:
  But I need four walls around me to hold my life
  To keep me from going a-stray
  And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
  To keep me from slipping away
  
  I can light up your smokes
  I can laugh at your jokes
  I can watch you fall down on your knees
  I can close down this bar
  I can gas up my car
  I can pack up and mail in my key
  
  Chorus:
  
  Now, the smoke fills the air
  In this honky-tonk bar
  And I'm thinking 'bout where I'd rather be
  But I burned all my bridges
  I sank all my ships
  And I'm stranded at the edge of the sea
  
  Chorus: