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.
But I need four walls around me
To hold my life, to keep me from going astray,
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.
But I need four walls around me
To hold my life, to keep me from going astray,
And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
To keep me from slipping away.

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.
But I need four walls around me
To hold my life, to keep me from going astray,
And a honky-tonk angel to hold me tight
To keep me from slipping away.