It's definitely based on the old folk song, but it's pretty clearly her take on it and she's added lyrics that were never part of the original version. It sounds like she is singing the song from the point of view of herself and her alcohol problems, which she's publicly talked about several times. She used to be so drunk during concerts that she sometimes couldn't finish or would bail out on shows. I remember reading a quote from her where she said she hadn't performed a concert sober for basically her whole career (up until the mid-2000s when she cleaned up).
"See if women and men would come to follow
To see what I might spend
God bless them handsome men
I wish they was mine"
That verse in particular paints a picture to me of her getting drunk in a bar and offering to pay for rounds of drinks for people around her ("To see what I might spend"). "God bless them handsome men" is her lamenting the fact that there are all these men around her who are only giving her attention because she's drunk and paying for their drinks, and that after the night is over they will want nothing more to do with her ("I wish they was mine").
The whole song is basically about finding companionship in alcohol and the act of drinking with people, and how neither of those are fulfilling and are ultimately self-destructive.
I completely agree, though for the line "see if women and men would come follow, see what i might spend" i'm pretty sure this means they would see how much she truly drinks by how many drinks she buys.
I completely agree, though for the line "see if women and men would come follow, see what i might spend" i'm pretty sure this means they would see how much she truly drinks by how many drinks she buys.
It's definitely based on the old folk song, but it's pretty clearly her take on it and she's added lyrics that were never part of the original version. It sounds like she is singing the song from the point of view of herself and her alcohol problems, which she's publicly talked about several times. She used to be so drunk during concerts that she sometimes couldn't finish or would bail out on shows. I remember reading a quote from her where she said she hadn't performed a concert sober for basically her whole career (up until the mid-2000s when she cleaned up).
"See if women and men would come to follow To see what I might spend God bless them handsome men I wish they was mine"
That verse in particular paints a picture to me of her getting drunk in a bar and offering to pay for rounds of drinks for people around her ("To see what I might spend"). "God bless them handsome men" is her lamenting the fact that there are all these men around her who are only giving her attention because she's drunk and paying for their drinks, and that after the night is over they will want nothing more to do with her ("I wish they was mine").
The whole song is basically about finding companionship in alcohol and the act of drinking with people, and how neither of those are fulfilling and are ultimately self-destructive.
I completely agree, though for the line "see if women and men would come follow, see what i might spend" i'm pretty sure this means they would see how much she truly drinks by how many drinks she buys.
I completely agree, though for the line "see if women and men would come follow, see what i might spend" i'm pretty sure this means they would see how much she truly drinks by how many drinks she buys.