Story Behind The Song

One too many bar brawls can wear a guy down. I just came here to play guitar. Why do you guys want to fight? Why not just drink, dance, and be merry?

Song Description

Texas Swing. Great guitar hooks, fun verses, strong chorus. Problem is, button pushers nationwide will tell you you can't write a country song about being broke. You can write about it if there's a happy ending (Lee Roy Parnell, 'Road Scholar'), but you "can't write a country song about a band paying their dues." Why is that? Anyways, Ray Benson would understand - and dig it to boot.

Lyrics

Wrong Business

Well, now, one more night like last night'll be enough just to quit it all
The band couldn't play a man's favourite tune, so the drunk he started a brawl
While we was thankin' the Lord for chicken wire, women falling to their knees a-praying
Well there was bottles flying, people screaming and crying, while the band just kept on playing...

We're in the wrong business, playing guitars
We're in the wrong business, lookin to be stars
We're in the wrong business, we'll never make it this way
Working our fingers to the bone livin' day to day

It was a Saturday night, I'd been a whole year alone (that ain't right)
I ain't seen a woman like that since the T-Birds down at Antones
I couldn't help myself, but she didn't want to stay
She done took off early in the mornin' with a hard weeks worth of pay

I'm in the wrong business, playing guitar
I'm in the wrong business, lookin to be a star
I'm in the wrong business, we'll never make it this way
Working my fingers to the bone livin' day to day

Now when you've got five pickers, driving in a truck
All the way from Woodstock, Brunswick to Tuktoyaktuk
Bet you all the while, they'll be wondering why
Why we do what we do for a living just to scrape on by

We're in the wrong business, playing guitars
We're in the wrong business, lookin to be stars
We're in the wrong business, we'll never make it this way
Working our fingers to the bone livin' day to day