“Let The Gin Work Its Magic” came out of me one evening over a glass of Never Never Distilling Co’s Juniper Freak Gin, courtesy of interviewing their Sean Baxter for The Adelaide Show podcast. I also discovered Navy Strength gin while interviewing him.
Two shots in, warmth seeping through, my mind wandered to bombs being dropped on towns and cities on the other side of the world, and to unhinged world leaders being violently and greedily selfish with their power, completely short sighted. Who pays that price? Us. So that evening I decided to just take solace in the gin, for tomorrow we might be well, you know how that sentence ends.
The chorus “Let the gin work its magic / Let the spirit break free” isn’t only about alcohol. It’s about surrendering to forces beyond our control while refusing to go quietly.
The Tom Waits reference in the opening verse wasn’t accidental. When everything feels like it’s falling apart, we need voices that help us “sing out loud ’til we bleed,” not the sanitised ones that tell us everything will be fine.
“We are only here briefly / We are just passing through” sits alongside “They say ‘live like you’re dying’ / But we live like we’re gods.” We know we’re mortal, yet we behave otherwise.
The bridge: “The clock’s always ticking / But we choose not to hear / The clock’s always ticking / But we’re drunk on our fear.” At least gin gives you a hangover the next morning to remind you of your limitations. Fear just keeps you numb indefinitely.
“Fall to earth with a sense of finality” carries both the image of things crashing down and the weight of accepting that some endings really are endings.
Lyrics: “Let The Gin Work Its Magic”
[Verse 1] Tom Waits, Tom Waits
We need more people like you
Who help us sing out loud
‘Til we bleed
When the wound is deep
And the prospects bleak
You’re the one sole voice
That we need
[Verse 2] Mountains they tumble
And towns disappear
As the evil men
Live their decree
And as our kitchens turn black
And our lifelines are sheered
We cry for hope for you
And for me
[Chorus] Let the gin work its magic
Let the spirit break free
Let the future go spinning
Like the earth breaking free
Let the laws of physics
And of gravity
Fall to earth with a sense of
Finality
[Verse 3] We are only here briefly
We are just passing through
We don’t have long to stay
That insight’s nothing new
But we don’t seem to get it
We don’t see there’s an end
‘Til we’ve put our foot down
And to hell with the bend
[Chorus] Let the gin work its magic
Let the spirit break free
Let the future go spinning
Like the earth breaking free
Let the laws of physics
And of gravity
Fall to earth with a sense of
Finality
[Verse 4] The small and the petty
And the nasty and mean
They think they’re forever
They don’t’ see what I’ve seen
There’s an end that is coming
And they’ve wasted their chance
To emerge from the shadows
And to move and to dance
[Bridge] They say “live like you’re dying”
But we live like we’re gods
Fighting over crumbs
While ignoring the odds
The clock’s always ticking
But we choose not to hear
The clock’s always ticking
But we’re drunk on our fear
[Chorus] Let the gin work its magic
Let the spirit break free
Let the future go spinning
Like the earth breaking free
Let the laws of physics
And of gravity
Fall to earth with a sense of
Finality
[Chorus] Let the gin work its magic
Let the spirit break free
Let the future go spinning
Like the earth breaking free
Let the laws of physics
And of gravity
Fall to earth with a sense of
Finality
Listen to Let The Gin Work Its Magic
Here is the song on YouTube. It’s also available across all streaming platforms.