Drunk By Myself

I'm drunk by myself, gun under my seat
I don't want none of my peeps caught up in none of my beef
I'm a ride to the end of the road if I have to
Praying no car speeds by for me to crash to
Steering wheel in my hand
Trying to hold it steady
Anything in my way is dead
Cause that's the way I feel, I am already
When I'm drunk by myself alone in the zone
Drunk by myself


Nas – “Drunk By Myself”


It only happens once a year. For some people it’s a monumental occasion. Others look upon it with dread. I’m talking about birthdays. And I need you all to do me a favor. Next time you are out with someone on their birthday, buy them a drink!!! Or maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we don’t do that anymore. I remember back in the day when I used to be a club hoppin’, party animal, birthdays were the one time that you had to break bread for your people. Even if you were used to being miserly, it is your solemn duty as a friend to make sure that the birthday boy or girl gets twisted. If you let the birthday boy buy his own drinks… he might as well get drunk by himself.

My last birthday, one of my closest friends pissed me off so badly that I haven’t talked to her since, save a text message to let her know I am still alive. What had happened was…She planned a birthday dinner (about a week after) for me. Things just kept coming up, so it got pushed back a couple of times. By the time we actually went out to dinner, it was 3 weeks after my birthday. Whatever, that was no biggie. When I showed up at the restaurant, I noticed that it wasn’t me and her like I thought it would be, but me, her and 3 of HER friends. Yeah, I knew the people, but they weren’t my friends. So, my birthday dinner turned into an excuse for her to hang out with her friends. The kicker came when the check came. She whispered that she didn’t have enough money to pay for my dinner and drinks. Yeah, so why da bleep did you invite me? I could have went to Subway and got a tuna sub and the liquor store to get me a bottle of Bacardi instead of buying these marked up drinks. It’s supposed to be my birthday…hook me up! Even if I bought my own dinner, you could have at least got me a shot or four… I might as well have stayed home and got drunk by myself. It would have been cheaper.

Last weekend was Jameil’s birthday. We were in Orlando celebrating with some friends. We hit up 4 different spots that night. At some point, I would have expected someone besides me would have bought her a drink, but I guess we don’t do that no mo’. Spot one.. no drinks.. Spot 2 no drinks… Spot 3… you guessed it, no drinks. Maybe if I wasn’t there, it would have been different, but trust and believe.. you can buy my girl a drink and I will not be offended, especially when you have known her longer than me. I’m not insecure about free liquor. Go head and make that happen! Spot 4 was just me and her, by ourselves.

Now, I’m giving you fair warning. In the unlikely event that you and I are in the same spot on November 25th, I expect drink buying. I don’t ask for much, just for someone to take my keys and pass the liquor. I don’t need top shelf, I don’t need a $15 cocktail, just keep them strong and keep them coming. Just make sure you don’t let me drink Crown. I don’t know how to act off that, but that’s a story for another day. Nothing sucks worse than having to get yourself faded on your birthday. Might as well get drunk by myself.