BAIT BUCKET BAR & GRILL by Jeff Callaway

BAIT BUCKET BAR AND GRILL

when
i go back
to Gun Barrel City
i go to a place called Big Chief Landing
to a hot spot they call The Bait Bucket Bar And Grill
where i sit on the back deck with a gin and tonic
and admire the Cedar Creek Lake and the sunlight
that dances on it in late afternoon…

i order a tequila sunrise at sunset
and somehow a smile always lights up my face
when i see that wonderful lake as it fades
into darkness with only the sound of the waves
as they crash on the shore…

or the roar from a boat motor heading for home
with the catch of the day…

then all of the sudden the bar comes alive
as Dan The Man turns on the neon signs
with a wink from Cedar Creek Chrissie’s brown eyes
the jukebox blares Def Leppard’s Love Bites
cause everyone’s in love with Saturday night
at The Bait Bucket Bar and Grill…

then Josh Mitchell comes by with tequila and limes
and he yells to me that it’s party time!
and i say that he’s right
cause we both live sinful lives
and this is just what sinners do…

we order cold beers and we howl at the moon
or we slam back Jim beam and listen to Motley Crue
or Appetite For Destruction and some Blackened Voodoo
or shots of Crown Royal with Credence Clearwater’s Suzie-Q
and it’s all i can do to not vomit on my shoes…

is the devil chasing me, too?

at the Bait Bucket Bar and Grill i’ve drank a billion beers
at the Bait Bucket Bar and Grill i’ve had a trillion thrills
at the Bair Bucket Bar and Grill i can always find a friend
and something fun to do…

so when all has been said and done
and all of the songs have been sung
when everyone’s had all their fun
and all of us drunks have gotten drunk
when on the tables all the chairs are stacked up
and all the broken glass from the floor is swept up
my blues brother James pays my tab
with a heart of gold he stole from Neil Young
and Chrissie drives me home in her pick-up truck
as Dan The Man turns off the neon sign
on another East Texas Saturday night…