It Ain't Far to the Bar - Johnny Tyler and The Riders of the Rio Grande

It Ain't Far to the Bar - Johnny Tyler and The Riders of the Rio Grande

2:45

single, 1949

Written by Jonny Tyler?

With a nasal twang akin to that of Webb Pierce or Chubby Parker, Tyler belts out this novelty swing number with gusto and some theatrical fake hiccuping.  The narrator is a drunk who pleads with the bartender to let him in ("I'll settle for a beer"), noting that a woman's perfidy led him down the road to inebriation.  The punchline of the song is that he was once the train engineer!  Ha ha!  He probably caused a terrible crash!