3 of the Best “Last Call” Country Songs Ever Written

Country music finds itself in bars more often than not. Country songwriters use this setting as a convenient framework for their stories. It’s their “A long time ago, in a land faraway.” Despite this being an ubiquitous convention, listeners of the genre can never get enough of it. The three country songs below are all “last call” kind of songs. Each of these artists finds themselves at a bar at closing time, for one reason or another.

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“Whiskey Glasses” — Morgan Wallen

Though Morgan Wallen’s “Whiskey Glasses” isn’t just about the last call at the bar, it is part of the story. A heartbroken Wallen has become a familiar face at his local, hoping to drown out the feeling of losing his ex. Given his emotional state in this song, he no doubt has heard “last call” one too many times.

“Last call, I swear this’ll be my last call / Now I ain’t drunk dialin’ no more at 3 a.m. / Mr. Bartender hittin’ me again,” he sings, referencing closing time at the bar. This song would work for any point of the night, but if you’re as down as Wallen seemed to be in this hit, it hits hardest when the neon lights cut off and it’s time to head home.

“The Bottle Let Me Down” — Merle Haggard

“Each night I leave the bar room when it’s over / Not feeling any pain at closing time / But tonight your memory found me much too sober / Couldn’t drink enough to keep you off my mind,” the opening lyrics to Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down” read. Haggard, like many country artists before and after him, was trying to ease his pain by staying until the bar kicked him out. In this song, however, not even a full night of drinking seemed to do the trick.

This song is one of country’s best “last call” songs, largely because it speaks to the reality of trying to ease your pain with this method. Many country songs in this vein use the bar as a foolproof way to mend heartbreak. Haggard flips the script by failing to drown out his sorrows.

“Last Call” — Lee Ann Womack

We couldn’t let this list go by without including this Lee Ann Womack staple. “Last Call” is exactly what it sounds like. The country icon makes a cutting remark to an ex, knowing he’s sitting somewhere lonely in a bar. “I bet you’re in a bar / ‘Cause I’m always your last call,” she sings in the titular turn of phrase in this song.

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