It was 1989, and no one would’ve expected to hear the late Hank Williams’ voice again — let alone blend with his son, Hank Williams Jr. But with the power of technology, they were given another chance. And it was the cover of Big Bill Lister’s “There’s a Tear in My Beer.” Williams originally wrote this song during his Nashville sessions, but he only did a demo recording and never released his own version.
The Williams’ duet cover would be the first time fans heard him sing the song. It was included in Hank Williams Jr.’s album Greatest Hits, Vol. 3, and would hit a peak position of number 7 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was like a piece of country music was reborn, and it has since become a classic.
Meaning Behind the Song
Hank Williams Jr. was just three when his father passed away. At 40, he was given the opportunity to do what most musician father-son duos always did: a duet. When he got the demo of the unreleased song, he added his vocals and filled in the gaps in the instrumentation. His late father also featured in the music video of the song, and it won them a string of awards: an ACM and CMA Video of the Year and a posthumous Grammy for the late country icon and legend and his son for Best Country Vocal Collaboration.
Williams Jr. started out alone. He was in an old house on a stormy night, singing of lost love and loneliness. He tried to escape his pain – or at the very least drown it – by drinking alcohol, but even that couldn’t fully alleviate all the overwhelming feelings. Nevertheless, he was still going to keep on drinking until he was petrified.
For You
His father, seemingly a mysterious character behind the door, took over the first two lines of the next part, expressing how he’d tried so hard, but he couldn’t hide the tears. He joined him in the next line, displaying their smooth and evocative harmonization.
Despite the decades gap, their voices complemented each other well – Hank Jr.’s deeper, more robust voice was a perfect match to his father’s higher, plaintive tone – creating a rich, layered sound that added a poignant dimension and enhanced the emotional impact of the song.
He then went on to open the door and revealed Hank Williams playing the guitar. And together, they sang until the end, like the man who drank until he couldn’t think or sleep or feel anything else.
Listen to Hank Williams Jr.’s nostalgic duet with his father in “There’s a Tear in My Beer” in the video below. And make sure to check out the rest of Hank Williams Jr.’s best songs!
