1. 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.

2. 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]

3. 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]