Tattoos and Tequila – English Lyrics

• By: Jason Aldean
• Album: 9

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the poignant narrative of Jason Aldean's 'Tattoos and Tequila,' a song that explores the themes of heartbreak and coping mechanisms. By studying the lyrics, you'll gain insight into how the song uses powerful imagery and relatable emotions to convey a story of love, loss, and the search for solace.

[English]

I got this one here on a midnight dare at a border town

Every time he stuck that needle in my skin, she had to look away

Had him put it right her on my chest, over my heart

That Rose of Jericho looks so good painted underneath her name

It hurt like hell, yeah, but it was worth the pain

When I'm missing her, I take another shot

I know it ain't the cure, but right now it's all I've got

She took most of me, and now all that I have left

Are tattoos to remember, tequila to forget

Just another neon-rollercoaster Friday night

Bartender wiping down that bar while he keeps an eye on me

And I sure hope he ain't about top cut me off

'Cause I'm only one or two away

From getting my head where it needs to be

When I'm missing her, I take another shot

I know it ain't the cure, but right now it's all I've got

She took most of me, and now all that I have left

Are tattoos to remember and tequila to forget

...

Yeah, it hurt like hell

Mm, but it was worth the pain

When I'm missing her, I take another shot

I know it ain't the cure

When I'm missing her, I pour another shot

I know it ain't the cure, but right now it's all I've got

She took most of me, and now all that I have left

Are tattoos to remember and tequila to forget

Mm, mm, yeah

...

Key Grammar Structures

• Had him put it right here on my chest, over my heart

  ➔ Causative structure

  ➔ The structure "had him put" is a causative form where the subject causes someone to do something. It follows the pattern: have + object + base verb. In this line, the narrator caused the tattoo artist to "put" the tattoo.

• When I'm missing her, I take another shot

  ➔ Time clause with present continuous

  ➔ The line uses a time clause "When I'm missing her" with the present continuous tense "am missing" to describe an ongoing action that triggers another action "I take another shot". This structure connects two related events in time.

• Are tattoos to remember, tequila to forget

  ➔ Infinitive of purpose

  ➔ The line uses infinitives "to remember" and "to forget" to express purpose. The structure shows that tattoos serve the purpose of remembering, while tequila serves the purpose of forgetting. This is a concise way to show purpose without using full clauses.

• I know it ain't the cure, but right now it's all I've got

  ➔ Present perfect tense

  ➔ The phrase "I've got" uses the present perfect tense (have + past participle). This tense connects a past action to the present moment, indicating that the narrator currently possesses something (tequila as a coping mechanism) as a result of previous events.

• Every time he stuck that needle in my skin, she had to look away

  ➔ Modal verb of obligation in the past

  ➔ The phrase "had to" is a modal expression used to express obligation or necessity in the past. It indicates that she was required or compelled to look away when the needle was being used. This structure is formed with "had" + infinitive without "to".

• That Rose of Jericho looks so good painted underneath her name

  ➔ Reduced passive participle

  ➔ The word "painted" is a reduced passive participle. It's a shortened form of "which is painted" or "that was painted." This grammatical structure allows the writer to convey information more concisely by eliminating the relative pronoun and auxiliary verb.

• And I sure hope he ain't about to cut me off

  ➔ Expression with 'about to'

  ➔ The phrase "ain't about to" is a colloquial form of "isn't about to." The expression "be about to" indicates that something is going to happen very soon. In this context, it suggests the bartender might soon stop serving the narrator alcohol.

• Bartender wiping down that bar while he keeps an eye on me

  ➔ Phrasal verb

  ➔ The phrase "keeps an eye on" is a phrasal verb that means to watch or monitor someone or something carefully. Phrasal verbs consist of a main verb combined with a preposition or adverb (or both) that creates a meaning different from the original verb alone.