About the Song
While the title Cowboys and Dreamers might sound familiar to die-hard fans, it’s important to clarify: “Three Drinks Behind” is a fan-favorite unreleased track by George Strait that has circulated among collectors and live performance recordings, but it was never officially released on an album titled Cowboys and Dreamers. That said, this song perfectly captures everything fans love about the King of Country — heartache, simplicity, and storytelling wrapped in traditional country tones.
In “Three Drinks Behind,” Strait plays the role of a man losing his grip — not only on his emotions but also on reality — as he sits alone at a bar, processing a love gone wrong. The title is a clever double entendre: he’s literally three drinks behind in numbing his pain, and metaphorically falling further behind in life, trying to catch up to the emotional weight of a breakup he didn’t see coming.
The lyrics are classic George Strait: straightforward, poetic in their simplicity, and deeply relatable. Lines like “I’m not quite numb enough to forget you, but I’m workin’ on it one glass at a time” deliver a gut punch wrapped in a soft drawl. You can almost picture the dim bar lights, the worn-out barstool, and the quiet nods of fellow drinkers who’ve been there too.
Musically, the song leans into honky-tonk tradition, with a steady shuffle rhythm, rich pedal steel guitar, and a melody that feels both familiar and comforting — the kind of tune that might come on late at night in a Texas dive, when the crowd has thinned and the jukebox is telling the truth.
Though not part of George Strait’s official discography, “Three Drinks Behind” has lived on in bootlegs, fan tapes, and live show setlists — whispered about in forums and praised for its raw honesty. It’s a track that reminds us just how effortlessly Strait can take an everyday moment and turn it into a timeless story.
For fans of Strait’s deeper cuts, this song holds a special place — a testament to his ability to make you feel something real with just a few chords and a worn-out heart. Whether it was recorded in a studio session left on the shelf or performed live as a nod to the faithful, “Three Drinks Behind” proves that even George Strait’s unreleased songs are better than most artists’ best.