Damn That Old Whiskey Trail

Heaven is a place where good men go
Maybe it's a place that I won't know
Heading down that whiskey trail
Mama told me not to run, 'cause I might fall
But never was the kind to listen much at all
Heading down that whiskey trail
Damn that old whiskey trail
Daddy drank his dinner from a paper sack
Made it out the door one day
And never came back
Heading down that whiskey trail
They say that I'm a chip off a son of a gun
With nowhere to hide out and nowhere to run
Heading down that whiskey trail
Can't you hear the engines wail
Damn that old whiskey trail
Can't you hear the engines wail
Damn that old whiskey trail

Los Lobos is one of my favorite bands, and I noticed this was song #13 on Kiko (an album of sublime beauty). The 13th--the Ides--of November, a Friday no less, is my birthday. Thus the 13th of anything attracts my attention. I have loved this music for a number of years, but failed to notice Whiskey Trail as Tune XIII, and also failed to appreciate the lyrics (David Hidalgo and Louie Perez share the songwriting credits). Whiskey, the "water of life," is so often associated with waywardness and dissolution in the minds of writers. I suppose the abuse of alcohol has such a bloody and destructive history that the beauty of the spirit is drowned out. That's a shame. TPP readers know that M.C. is a whiskey drinker: he makes no apologies despite the history of alcoholism in both his family and his heritage. Whiskey drinking is a lovely thing--I've shared too many joyful drams with friends and loved ones not to think so. In fact, holidays here at TPP are often celebrated with Irish coffees. Jameson Irish Whiskey reaches its apotheosis of expression when mixed with a fine cuppa java, a spoonful of sugar, and a dash of vanilla. Topped by whipped cream, of course. Not that I don't appreciate Irish neat--I do. But the cocktail is my favorite way to sample that delightful brew. The website also features Jameson Redbreast, my favorite of all Irish whiskeys. I will beat anyone with a large stick if I catch them diluting or polluting that particular spirit with anything but water. The larder is bereft of Redbreast these days. That deserves a beating, too! Maybe Los Lobos is right, I get talking about whiskey and I want to beat people! Damn that old whiskey trail!
a.d. V Kal.Iun.