Released: 2023
Parker McCollum’s ‘Handle On You’ is a heart-wrenching tale of love lost and the struggle to cope. It’s a classic country narrative of heartbreak, drowning sorrows in whiskey, and battling with memories of a past lover.
The opening lines paint a vivid picture of the singer’s state of mind. He’s bought the biggest bottle of whiskey, indicating he’s trying to numb the pain of his lover’s departure. The ‘old Haggard song’ he cries to is a reference to Merle Haggard, a legendary country singer known for his sorrowful tunes.
When he sings ‘Tennessee and Kentucky ’cause you ain’t here to love me’, he’s referring to the states where bourbon and whiskey are made. It’s a poetic way of saying he’s turning to alcohol because his lover isn’t there anymore.
The line ‘I’ve been fightin’ with your memory, I hate the way it hits me’ is a metaphor for his struggle with his memories of his ex-lover. It’s as if these memories are physically hurting him, leaving him ‘black and blue’.
The phrase ‘After all this back and forth, a fifth won’t do’ suggests that a fifth of liquor isn’t enough to numb his pain anymore. It’s a powerful statement about the depth of his heartache.
The recurring line ‘Yeah, I finally got a handle, finally got a handle on you’ is a play on words. A ‘handle’ can refer to a large bottle of liquor, but it also means understanding or control. It’s as if he’s saying he’s finally understood the situation or gained control over his feelings, but it’s through the bottle, not actual emotional healing.
In the line ‘I tell myself that I should quit, but I don’t listen to drunks’, McCollum is acknowledging his unhealthy coping mechanism. He knows he should stop drinking, but he’s not in a state to heed his own advice.
The line ‘Since you poured our love down the sink, I think I’ll just stay here and drink’ is a poignant metaphor. It’s as if their love was something tangible that his lover discarded, and now all he can do is drown his sorrows.
