Story Behind The Song

This song is about that american tradition, the neighborhood tavern. Maybe you'll find some some similarities between the Caribou Bar & Grill and your favorite watering hole.

Song Description

This song is about that american tradition, the neighborhood tavern. Maybe you'll find some some similarities between the Caribou Bar & Grill and your favorite watering hole. It has an uptempo, slightly cajun flavor to it, due to the harmonica stylings and the excellent drum work.

Lyrics

"Caribou Bar & Grill" by: John Stano

They got a dead deer's head and a few stuffed fish hangin' on their trophy wall
a fairly decent juke box
and an old Gold Strike pinball.
We didn't hunt, we hardly fished,
you know we mostly just drank beer,
talked bout our lives as they passed us by,
Hank Williams moaned the blues in our ear.
Grab my smokes, collect my change,
sometime I'd take a ten dollar bill
and I'd take my seat with the chosen ones
at the Caribou Bar & Grill.

I said, Caribou, sittin' their talkin,' smokin' and a jokin' and a drinkin' and a watchin' our lives reflected in the back bar mirror.
is it any wonder things aint gettin' any clearer?
If Id've known back then like I know now,
that we haven't got that much time to kill.
Well, I wonder if I would've hung around so long
at the Caribou Bar & Grill?

You could usually count on the usual suspects
just sittin' round wastin' time,
the neighborhood crew, a few off-duty cops
spendin' all those quarters and dimes.
Digger dug graves part-time,
full-time he drank up his disability,
with old Wild Bill from Morrisonville,
they would mumble incoherently.
I doubt that Digger is still alive,
but if he is and your lookin' you will
find him nursin' the remains of a seven ounce tap
at the Caribou Bar & Grill.

I said, Caribou, sittin' their talkin,' smokin' and a jokin' and a drinkin' and a watchin' our lives reflected in the back bar mirror.
is it any wonder things aint gettin' any clearer?
You know a minds a terrible thing to waste,
so is a tap beer that's chilled.
I guarantee they aint wastin' too many of those
at the Caribou Bar & Grill.

Well Sometimes we'd roam around those one horse towns with a straight six '64
with a three speed on the column
and an eight pack on the floor.
Other than a few cheeseburgers you know
there wasn't too much that we did need.
We were blowin' across the cornfields
like a hand full of dandelion seeds.
You know the time always came to roll back home
and we would roll to the bottom of the hill
and take our seats behind the neon lights
of the Caribou Bar & Grill.

I said, Caribou, sittin' their talkin' smokin' and a jokin' and a drinkin' and a watchin' our lives reflected in the back bar mirror.
is it any wonder things aint gettin' any clearer?

Sure is funny how time does fly when you'd swear to god it was standin' still.
That pretty much sums up an average night at the Caribou Bar & Grill.

Well the Caribou Bar & Grill,
sometime I thought we would never leave.
I must've worn out all the elbows,
on all my worn shirtsleeves.
There was the rattle and crack of the bar dice cup,
there was a hand rolled cigarette.
Old Buddha just grinnin'
back behind the bar saying,
"Boys are we havin' fun yet?"
I don't recall when I stopped stoppin' by
or I would probably be stoppin' by still.
I wonder if there's anybody left I know at the Caribou Bar & Grill?

I said, Caribou, sittin' their talkin' smokin' and a jokin' and a drinkin' and a watchin' our lives reflected in the back bar mirror.
is it any wonder things aint gettin' any clearer?

If Id've known back then like I know now,
that we haven't got that much time to kill
I wonder if I would've hung around so long
at the Caribou Bar & Grill?
I wonder if I would've hung around so long
at the Caribou Bar & Grill?
You know I wonder if I would've hung around
so long, so long, so long.