The song is sung from the point of view of a husband who has to explain to his wife why he stayed out until 4:30 in the morning. He states that he has been floating down the old Green River on the good ship "
Rock and Rye", where he got "stuck on a bar". The tag line in the lyric is: :
I had to drink the whole Green River dry :
To get back home to you. The song is a play on words, as
Green River was a popular brand of
whiskey at the time. == Cover versions ==