The raw ache in George Jones’s voice as he sings “Just one more, and then another” cuts through decades like a blade. It is the sound of a man drowning his sorrows, one drink at a time, yet never escaping the memory of lost love. This ballad, born from a heartbreak that feels both eternal and personal, remains one of the most hauntingly honest songs in country music history.
George Jones wrote and released “Just One More” in 1955 on his album You Gotta Be My Baby. Within months, the single climbed to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It was a turning point for Jones, then a young singer from Texas, who would go on to become one of the best-selling music artists of the 1970s and a pillar of the outlaw country movement. His ability to wrap vulnerability in a whiskey-soaked melody captivated generations.
The song opens with a stark image: a bottle on a table, a man drinking to forget. He sings of trying to erase the face of a woman who left him, but each glass only brings a sharper memory. The chorus captures the cruel cycle of addiction and longing:
But just one more, and then another, I’ll keep drinking, it won’t matter. I’ll just remember, that I once had her.
Yet there is a glimmer of hope in the bridge. Jones offers a quiet promise: “I know that someday, I’ll find someone new. And then I’ll forget all about you.” It is a reminder that even the deepest wounds can heal, and that heartbreak is not an end but a passage. The song’s message remains strikingly relevant in a world where pain and loneliness often seek solace in a bottle.
“Just One More” has left an indelible mark on popular culture. It has been featured in major films and television shows, including The Big Lebowski and The Sopranos. It has also been covered by legends like Elvis Presley and Hank Williams Jr., and it remains a favorite for karaoke and campfire singalongs. Its raw emotional power transcends time and genre.
The full lyrics, a simple yet devastating poem, are presented below.
“Just One More”
Put the bottle on the table
Let it stay by till I’m not able
To see your face in everyplace that I go
I’ve been sitting here so long
Just remembering that you are gone
Well, one more drink of wine
Then if you’re still on my mind
One drink, just one more and then another
I’ll keep drinking it won’t matter
I’ll just remember that I once had her
I don’t know why I sit and cry everyday
I’ve been trying to forget
But I haven’t stopped as yet
Well, one more drink of wine
Then if you’re still on my mind
One drink, just one more and then anotherPut the bottle on the table
Let it stay by till I’m not able
To see your face in everyplace that I go
I’ve been sitting here so long
Just remembering that you are gone
Well, one more drink of wine
Then if you’re still on my mind
One drink, just one more and then another