I have never been one to let a good night of drinking end early, so I am not going to let this run of whiskey-inspired, Americana UK chain gang, run of drinking games come to a premature end. So after being served ‘Beggar’s Blues’ by Sean Hannam, it seemed like the perfect time to pour a tall one and recognize that it is indeed, the whiskey that eases the pain. So let’s chug one down with Darrell Scott and his classic drinking tune, ‘It’s the Whiskey That Eases the Pain’, from his 1997 debut ‘Aloha from Nashville‘. For many Scott and his debut album seem to come out of nowhere, but he had cut hit teeth as a member of both Guy Clark’s band and Sam Bush and John Cowan’s post-Newgrass Revival outfit and was a monster songwriter in waiting. Since then he has established himself as a master wordsmith, crafting songs that have become part of the vernacular of roots music.
Scott’s ‘It’s the Whiskey That Eases the Pain’ is one of those songs, with its timeless ode to booze. His world view that “It ain’t love, it ain’t money that makes this world turn around/ When you hit rock bottom you still may not be on the ground/ I can tell you something in case you’re walking with a cane/ It ain’t love, it ain’t money, it’s the whiskey that eases the pain,” is a sentiment that so many of us can relate to. Scott then adds this life-lesson-mantra, “Well I’ll drink doubles and chase these troubles away/ And while you’re waking up tomorrow I may still be living today.’
This live version features Scott and singer/songwriter Cris Jacobs from a brief run of shows they played together in 2012. Scott’s already soulful, passionate delivery is taken to another realm with the addition of the plaintive wail of Jacobs’ cigar box guitar.
