Old Yeller from The Reckoning by Huck Fin

‘Old Yeller’ is another metaphor. Here, my dog is the alcohol, and the rabies it develops is the alcoholism. I am incredibly proud of this writing and highly recommend listening to it at least once. After 4 sick and tired songs spent dancing on the desolation of my lifestyle and a thorough evaluation of how I got here, I gain the lucidity and courage to just go get the gun and put the dog down. To many this may seem dramatic, even a gross metaphor, but for some, to put substance down can feel like murdering a loved one who has gone rabid. The lyrics say it best, “Hair of the dog, one day I’ll shoot that bitch instead! And I ain’t being hyperbolic, someone’s gonna end up dead.”

Tracklist

5.	Old Yeller	4:22

Lyrics

Chords: *Capo 1* Am, 032210, 302210, 200210

Hair of the dog, one day I’ll shoot that bitch instead!

And I ain’t being hyperbolic, someone’s gonna end up dead

Don’t call me dramatic, I’m out here fighting for my life!

But there’s a guilty satisfaction in getting the dog to bite

There’s no pain inside a Hurricane, you couldn’t shake me with an Earthquake

Downin’ Camo, shooting Colt 45, to piss the day away

I’ve got Steel Reserve, Bull Schlitz couldn’t waste me

I love malt liquor, it’s cheap and it’s tasty!

The dog loves it too cuz in the mornings it stays in my stomach

I dig out my tomb and I won’t stop until the inverted summit

Give me bottom, set me free, I want that sweet sobriety

But every morning I wake up and kick the dog to see its teeth

There are times when I’m left on my own

Someone’s gotta feed the dog so I leave the home

For one reason: get that bitch what she’s drinking, come back and get wasted alone

Old Yeller, yeah I’ll kill you if you tell her, but I think it’s time to put the girl down

Give me one reason not to leave her ass bleeding, let the .38 special come round

Yeah I love the old girl, but god damn she’s turning rabid

9-5, overtime, it use to be a weekend habit

They said “keep your dog on leash, everything will be fine”

I told em “fuck off, my girl don’t need no handlers line”

When we were young it worked out great, just living wild and free

I’d run my fingers through her coat, God granted me serenity

I don’t know just when it happened but she started acting different

Every time that we went out she’d get to barking all belligerent

Foam in the mouth, so we just stayed in the house

And even then I’d try to pet her and be met with a growl

These days we’re paralytic, we’re sitting stoned on the couch

We got the 24oz fever, seizures if I tap out

Well I reckon that it’s time for me to step in

So I go down to the basement, oil up the Smith & Wesson

The end of the line smells like Hoppes No. 9

Tastes like the shit I just drank, and the tears that I’m crying

Head upstairs and pick old girl up from her bed

Take her out behind the house and put two bullets in her head

That’s a double tap, no them booze ain’t coming back, when them habits make you stupid gotta shoot they habitat

Credits

from The Reckoning, released March 15, 2024
Finley Ohrstrom: Lyricist, Composer, Singer
Hayden Witt: Instrumentation, Production, Mastering

License