I’m Not
Cheap Whiskey Anymore
SIDE 1:
1. Hot Damn & Cheap Whiskey (4:12)
A rowdy, bittersweet karaoke tale of love, swagger, and letting go.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Aerosmith)
2. My Own Worst Enemy (3:45) (Cover)
A self-deprecating anthem for every night you went one shot too far.
Written by: Lit
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey)
3. COVID!! (3:11)
Lockdown and loneliness, while the world seemed to fall apart.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Tom Petty)
4. King of Second Chances (Can’t Get a Second Chance) (4:30)
The ironic truth about trying to start over when you’re already bruised.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion, Casey Bright, and Kathleen Bloom
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of The Rolling Stones)
5. Cinnamon Girl (0:33) (Cover)
An old flame, a spiced shot, and the soundtrack of a thousand memories.
Written by: Neil Young
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey)
6. Gratitude (4:19)
A quiet inventory of every blessing you almost overlooked.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Jackson Browne)
HOT DAMN
& CHEAP WHISKEY
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of Aerosmith)
They’re eight shots deep under the neon light
Next on that List, her grin says I’ll get this right
I’ll Grrrrr this one up, make it raw and wild
Bad-Bad Girlfriend style
The host smiled and yelled, Next one up: Cheeeep Whiskey!
“Doesn’t sing the same song twice — gotta respect the game”
Kids half their age just stared and they laughed
How the hell they still lightin’ up this stage?
Lorenzo tried Geddy Lee, she nailed Joan Jett
Sometimes a train wreck, they’d rather forget
But every stumble was part of the charm
Every chorus, a tattoo on the arm
Chorus:
Hot Damn & Cheap Whiskey
Hot Damn & Cheap Whiskey
They mixed in Hot Damn for a cinnamon slam
Added Cheap Whiskey for that Fireball’s zest
Some fool slurred, “But which one’s Hot Damn?”
She just laughed, never once confessed
Sugar on the lips, dynamite in the veins—whoooo
Patrons fixed on that tall, lean firecracker
Oh, and that long-haired bear beside her
They took their act where the smoke still swirled
Steal your damn breath without a spoken word
Oldest kids on that karaoke stage
Last ones dancing, first ones drunk
He named them later -- Cheap Whiskey, Hot Damn
Both knew which was the spark
They tuned into scenes you can’t rewind
Backroom games with the webcam on
Live-wire nights way past dawn
She’d dare the dark to come undone
Three hearts on fire, no place to run
Bridge Verse:
Hot Damn & Cheap Whiskey
She was rain in a midnight flood
Said she’d drown a man who dared
If that big-ass grin’s feral ‘nough
Chorus:
Hot Damn & Cheap Whiskey
Hot Damn & Cheap Whiskey
They mixed Hot Damn for the cinnamon bite
Cheap Whiskey made that Fireball taste right
Now that whiskey’s all gone but the stories, they stay
Hot Damn still burns, in a much different way
Hot Damn’n Cheap Whiskey --
Fireball before there waaaas Fireball
Hot Damn’n Cheap Whiskey
Little bit Hot Damn — little bit holy-hell! Yayayayayah
The King of Second Chances
(Can’t Get A Second Chance)
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of The Rolling Stones)
We had a house full of crime shows, unspoken goodbyes
Fourteen years on the table, washed out in her eyes
I was ready to bargain, to plead for a stay
She’d already packed up her heart any-way
Chorus:
I’m the King of Second Chances, the fool with open hands
Third, fourth, and fifth chances — til nobody understands
But the King of Second Chances can’t even get one more
Just a wry little smile as she walked out the door
Called her that next morning, asked “Please come here alone?”
“I don’t think that’s wise — you know how these stories go”
I quit those smokes by Christmas, cold turkey, no applause
Thought that earned me something—but it didn’t buy me cause
Chorus:
I’m the King of Second Chances, the last one still believing
I thought if we prayed on it, maybe she’d just stop leaving
But the King of Second Chances can’t even get one more
Just a cardboard box and a silence I can’t ignore
“You think you’re clever? You think you’re clean?”
Bridge”
I said, “My Grandpa loved me” — like it mattered somehow
I guess old ghosts come running when your heart breaks down
And the crime shows, the memories, fade to static screens
While she crosses her legs in that bed, erasing everything
Spoken Bridge:
I’ve always been the most emotional man you’d ever meet
I must get that from my mother
Maybe that’s why I thought love was something you could just…Fight for
Maybe that’s why I thought second chances were my birthright.
Chorus:
I’m the King of Second Chances, last fool at the gate
I kept that porch light burning, it was already too late
King of Second Chances can’t even get one more
Just a wry smile and footsteps out the door
“Yeah, I was that king… but that crown don’t fit no mo.”
Outro:
Fourteen years in a bottle, poured out on the floor
The King of Second Chances … ain’t that King no more.
Jesus’ Bootcamp & Rehabiltation Facility
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of Johnny Cash)
Jesus made me this offer
Give Me four months today
Covid will surely hide you
And grace will make you stay
Came out the other side
Seventy pounds lighter—
Seventy times more free.
He made clear I was enrolling
In the heartbreak school for souls
Grace has a wicked sense of humor
And it never lets you keep control.
Four months. No soda. No shortcuts!
Chorus:
Jesus’ Bootcamp, welcome aboard
Drop your pride by the front door
You’ll find out what you’re really made of
When there’s nothing left but love.
I didn’t come here for the miracle
Didn’t think I’d bend this low
Sometimes you don’t get to choose surrender
It’s the only way the heart can grow.
Oh, you signed up for Angel Training?
I thought I was too seasoned to need this
Too old to get knocked to my knees
But life has a way of sending the memo
You’re never too grown to bleed.
Chorus:
Jesus’ Bootcamp, where the proud come undone
Where the old pain finally comes unspun
It broke me down ‘til I couldn’t pretend
And it built me back honest, in the end.
I thought I’d seen the worst already
Thought my heart had learned to bend
But you can’t fake a resurrection
And you can’t heal what you can defend.
Chorus:
Jesus’ Bootcamp, where the strong fall apart
Where the faithless get a second start
Where you trade your pride for something truer
And find out you were loved all along.
I left my past self at the altar
Burned my plans, let them die
And in the hush after the wreckage
I heard Him say, “You’re free!”
Outro (Spoken):
Heckuva Bootcamp, here, Jesus!
I re-enrolled twelve weeks ago.
She Always Knew
Her Name
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(Sung in Tom Petty rapid-fire):
Captain Morgan Mosely
Morganstern, Lady M
Pomchi Queen, Girlie-Girlie
Buddy-Buddy to the end
Morgie, Poopbutt, Royal Heinness
O-key, Doe-key, Smo-key
Kitchen Dancer, Snuggle Bandit
Dixie? -- Oh, that ain’t happenin!
(Sung in Stevie Nicks soft echo):
Little black dog nestled
Against me in the bed
She always knew her name
But never needed fame.
You’ll always be a puppy to me.
Chorus (Both with passion):
GIRRRLIE! GIRRRLIE!
GOOOFY! GOOOFY!
She always knew her name
GIRRRLIE! GIRRRLIE!
SQUIRRELLY GIRRRLIE!
Twice abandoned
Yet always knew her name.
Who’s the best puppy on the planet?
(Tom Petty – storytelling):
They say a dog your size
You multiply by six
That makes you just my age
Two old hearts in the mix.
Some folks think I lost so much that year
Lost my mind, lost my nerve
But you were the prize I carried home
Little dog I didn’t deserve.
(Stevie Nicks – soft):
Sometimes I think about the day
I’ll come home and you’ll be gone
You were always my Good Luck Charm
So I’ll keep singing you this song.
Chorus (Both):
GIRRRLIE! GIRRRLIE!
SQUIRRELLY GIRRRLIE!
She always knew her name
GOOOFY! GOOOFY!
Look whose SQUIRRELLY!
Twice abandoned
But she always knew her name.
(Tom Petty):
Show me that Pomchi spin
As we dance the kitchen floor
People say you’re just a pet
But you blessed my life much more.
Taught me more about love and grace
Than any sermon ever could
Just a little dang dog
But damn, she sure understood.
(Tom Petty – storytelling):
I wanted to teach you to smile for me
You learned to laugh out loud
Every time that tail goes wild
Soothing every scar
Some said you were my shadow
But also the light in my hall
Twice abandoned, never bitter
Little dog who gave her all.
(Stevie Nicks – soft echo, fading):
You taught me to smile again
Taught me to open my heart
Little dog who knew her name…
From the very start.
We saw her heart — not her stain
Lib hippies against the grain
We asked her once, and she came
She always knew her name.
DID YOU KNOW? Cheap Whiskey’s real name is Lorenzo Champion, once the #7-ranked tambourine player in the nation. Honed from years of karaoke challenges, Cheap Whiskey’s ability to channel rock legends was the catalyst for the “in the style of” method of song-writing with
co-collaborator Casey Bright, on their debut album.
My Own Worst Enemy (Cover)
Written by: Lit (with Added Verses)
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk?
I didn’t mean to call you that
I can’t remember what was said or what you threw at me
Please tell me
Please tell me why
The car is in the front yard
And I’m sleeping with my clothes on
Came in through the window last night
And you’re gone
Chorus:
It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy
‘Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me
The smoke alarm is going off, and there’s a cigarette
Still burning
Please tell me why
My car is in the front yard
And I’m sleeping with my clothes on
I came in through the window last night
And you’re gone
Gone
Six years to the night
I lost my drunken mind
Screaming out those Lit lyrics
To the ghosts I left behind
I’m still the fool with a story
Still the man with a grin
But I’m not Cheap Whiskey anymore
And I won’t be again
It’s no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy
‘Cause every now and then I kick the living shit out of me
Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk?
I didn’t mean to call you that
Cinnamon Girl
Written by: Neil Young
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
I wanna live with a Cinnamon Girl
I could be happy the rest of my life
With a Cinnamon Girl
---- screeeech!!! ------
Gratitude
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the Style of Christine McVie):
You proved to me that I’m sexy
Although I’ve never felt that way
You even showed me that my body
Is something a man could crave
You convinced me I’m a good mother
Despite all those things I’d done
You helped me mend the places
I thought I’d never, ever love
(In the Style of Jackson Browne):
You helped a man who joked about bad luck
Feel like he’d truly won some hands
Like maybe the losing streaks
Were part of a much bigger plan
You never needed rings or papers
Didn’t care about the pageantry
Just two loners and one small dog
With a life no one quite rehearsed
(In the Style of Christine McVie):
I thought I could still email with you
But this is my last one
Please understand this is what I need --
(In the Style of Jackson Browne):
That’s the goodbye you choose?
A polite line to end a life?
I would have been your friend forever..
Outro:
“You have a higher opinion than I do, Lorenzo”
Jesus said, with a wink
“About that time, don’t you think?”
Grief’s Got
Five Names
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of the Traveling Wilburys)
(Tom Petty):
I knew this Giant when we still believed
In softball games and bowling leagues
Thirty years of cheap advice
Gone one night without goodbye
(Bob Dylan):
Then Jack hit that pole in Thanksgiving rain
Jumpin’ Jack Flash, gone just the same
He left a note I never found
Just memories I can’t lay down
(All Five Wilburys):
That was the month they both went quiet
While I was trying to start again
Falling in love while losing everything
Grief’s got five different names.
(Roy Orbison):
Mom slipped out without much sound
Left me standing on shaky ground
She was dying as I met my next gal
Couldn’t speak but her eyes told all.
(George Harrison):
Two wives, three decades spent
Two hearts I never meant to rent
If that’s failure, then so be it
I’d do it all again in a New York minute
(All Five Wilburys):
Five chairs empty, five hearts gone
Five more reasons I couldn’t move on
I thought it was just her leavin’ me
But Grief’s a much longer journey.
(Jeff Lynne):
It hit me in the midnight dark
Jesus’ Bootcamp of my soul
All these ghosts had pitched a tent
In a heart I cannot control.
Final Chorus (All Five Wilburys):
Well, it started out as a lonesome song
Then five voices came Travelin’ along
Now everybody’s trying to do the Wilbury Twist
It’s a magical thing called the Wilbury Twist
Now everybody’s trying to do the Wilbury Twist
It’s a magical thing called the Wilbury Twist
Better Than I Prayed For
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of Aerosmith)
Was aiming for thirty pounds, wound up seventy down
Who knew heartbreak could clean out the whole damn house?
Six plumbers later, I nearly gave up on that leak
You showed up with a chisel and said,
“Kid, this is gonna be sweet!”
I was just asking for a little peace
You provided something way more divine
Was supposed to just stretch my back
You straightened my whole damn spi-i-ine
Chorus:
No guilt -- no shame!
Just the quiet in my bones
Didn’t need all their applause
Didn’t need to feel alone
No guilt -- no shame!
That’s the miracle I got
Better than I prayed for
Better than I thought
Better than I prayed for
You outdid my little dreams
Didn’t even know I was starving
‘Til You fed me something clean
Better than I prayed for
That’s the headline, that’s the score
Turns out grace is showing up
When you can’t take no more
I prayed You’d patch that leak
You built an entire new floor
I asked for just a little peace
And there you were at my door
I thought I’d settled all my debts
With years of compromise
Had no idea the best of me
Was still about to rise
Bridge:
Didn’t even know to ask You
Didn’t even dare to dream
That the wreckage I was living in
Wasn’t everything it seemed
Chorus:
No guilt -- no shame!
Just the quiet in my bones
Didn’t need all their approval
Didn’t need to feel alone
No guilt -- no shame!
That’s the miracle I got
Better than I prayed for
Better than I thought
Oh, sweet mercy -- hoo -- look what you done did
Blew my roof off, baby -- scatta-dat-daaaah
Final Chorus:
Better than I prayed for
You blew my plans apart
Better than I prayed for
You healed my crooked heart
Didn’t know to ask You
For the peace You had in store
Turns out grace was better
Better than I prayed for
Outro:
I thought my last good days
Were buried in the floor
Turns out grace was better
Better than I prayed for
Mmm -- Hallejuah -- yeah, yeah, ooooo
Better than I -- ever -- prayed foooor!
SIDE 2:
7. Surrender (2:22)
Finding peace in finally admitting you’re not in control.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion, Casey Bright, Katherine Bloom
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Eddie Vedder)
8. Jesus’ Bootcamp & Rehabilitation Facility (4;19)
Faith, humor, and the road back from your own worst instincts.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion, Casey Bright, Katherine Bloom
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Johnny Cash)
9. Grief’s Got Five Names (3:36)
If you’ve loved and lost — then lost some more — this is your song.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in style of Traveling Wilburys)
10. Oh, What A Date! (January 21st) (2:58)
A darkly funny ode to your unluckiest day — three years running.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Frankie Valli)
11. She Always Knew Her Name (3:19)
A tribute to the dog who never stopped believing.
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Tom Petty)
12. Better Than I Prayed For (4:09)
Soaring rocker celebrating unexpected abundance .
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in the style of Aerosmith)
13. Not Cheap Whiskey Anymore (2:38)
Final confession from Casey: You changed more than you knew.
Written by: Casey Bright
(Performed by: Cheap Whiskey, in style of Bruce Springsteen)
Produced by: Loren A. Hirt
Distributed by: deBos Entertainment
COVID!!
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of Tom Petty)
Two weeks turned into two damn years
COVID!!
Grew out my hair, grew out my fears
COVID!!
Thought the mask would last a month, maybe two
COVID!!
Now it’s March of next year — who knew?
Chorus:
Oh—COVID!!
You made hermits out of men
Oh—COVID!!
Told me “never say never again”
Oh—COVID!!
Turned my kitchen into a stage
I sang to no applause and called it brave
Girlfriend working, me pacing the floor
COVID!!
Never guessed she’d walk out that door
COVID!!
Said, “Covid might be torturous all alone”
Never dreamed that’d become my home
I thought I’d be the one to save her
Thought we’d ride this storm together
Didn’t see the quiet ending
Didn’t know we’d break forever
COVID!!
Shut the bars, flip the lights, stay inside
COVID!!
Lost the weeks, lost the spark, lost my pride
All the things I didn’t know I’d miss
Every handshake, every careless kiss
All the plans we thought were real
Folded up like dollar bills
COVID!!
Shut the bars, flip the lights, stay inside
COVID!!
Lost the weeks, lost the spark, lost my pride
And when it was over?
I didn’t know what to call what was left
Was it freedom?
Or just another kind of quarantine?
Surrender
Written by: Lorenzo Champion, Casey Bright, Kathleen Bloom
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of Pearl Jam)
I was standing in the dark
Clutching everything I’d lost
Thought I’d outrun the breaking
Didn’t know the final cost
“Okay, Jesus — take it
I’m too weak to try to pretend
You’ll make me something greater
I won’t fight you on this again”
Chorus:
Surrender
I surrender
I surrender everything
Surrender
I surrender
Every broken offering
I stood there in the quiet
Nothing left to justify
If you wanted my confession
It was all I had to sign
I was done with all the reasons
I’d rehearsed to stay the same
Done with building paper kingdoms
Just to burn them in my shame
Chorus:
Surrender
I surrender
I surrender everything
Surrender
I surrender
Every broken offering
So I dropped my last defenses
And the stories I long believed
If you’re waiting for a witness, Jesus
Here I am, on bended knee
It’s the people without scars --
Those are the people you have to look out for.
Surrender
I surrender
I surrender
OH, WHAT A DATE !(JANUARY 21st)
Written by: Lorenzo Champion & Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of “Oh, What a Night” by Frankie Valli)
Falsetto Intro
Oh, what a date…
January twenty-fiiiiirst…
Back in ‘19, thought my luck had run dry
Corporate axe came swinging, I was kissing that job goodbye
But I swore I’d never let it break me down
So I learned to play the market, turned my life around
(Falsetto hook)
Oh, what a date…
It always finds me first…
’21 came crawling with a suitcase in her hand
My lady packed her boxes, needed a different plan
Biden took the White House, she took my peace of mind
Left me talking to Jesus, begging for a sign
Pre-Chorus:
Is it fate or just the calendar?
Is it God or just a curse?
I don’t know, but I mark the date
And I brace for the absolute worst
Chorus:
Oh, what a date… January 21st
That’s the day the bottom drops, when the best gets worse
Mark it on your calendar, circle it in red
Oh, what a date… you can bet I won’t forget
Then a year went by, thought the curse was all but done
Met a woman with a question—What’s your faith look like, son?”
She kissed me on the steps, I thought it might be fate
But she told me all her secrets on that same damn date
Pre-Chorus:
Three times in three years, like the universe keeps score
Every January 21st, I wind up on the floor
Chorus:
Oh, what a date… January 21st
If you love me, say it early, ‘cause this day is cursed
Mark it on your calendar, text to check I’m sane
Oh, what a date… you can bet I won’t complain
Bridge (Spoken):
Yeah, she put it in her phone—
“Text Lorenzo, make sure he’s okay.”
I told her I’d stay home next year—hell, I even did.
And nothing happened.
But I’m still not convinced.
Chorus (Last, Big Harmony):
Oh, what a date… January 21st
That’s the day the bottom drops, when the best gets worse
If you’re planning something special, pick another day
Oh, what a date… this curse won’t go away
Outro (Falsetto Fade):
Oh, what a date…
January twennnnty-first…
Not Cheap Whiskey Anymore
Written by: Casey Bright
Performed by: Cheap Whiskey (Lorenzo Champion)
(In the style of Bruce Springsteen)
I watched you burn it all down
Just to see what was left
Watched you pace those empty rooms
Searching for the piece you’d kept
You were never just the punchline
Never just the smoke and grin
You were the man who kept showing up
Even when you couldn’t win
You thought the past would break you
You thought regret would stain your name
But every loss you carried
Was the fire that made you change
So here’s my last confession
Before the curtain calls your name
You were always something better
Than the stories and the blame
Chorus:
You’re not Cheap Whiskey anymore
You’re not the mask you used to wear
You’re not the echoes of the heartbreak
Or the ghost still sitting in your chair
You’re not Cheap Whiskey anymore
You’re not the punch you used to pour
You’re not the man who had to numb it
Just to feel a little more
Bridge (Spoken):
I know you didn’t ask for this—
Didn’t ask to outlive the version of yourself
You thought you’d always be.
But here you are.
Standing in the quiet—
And I can see it clear as day:
You were never Cheap Whiskey.
You were always something rare.
Final Chorus:
You’re not Cheap Whiskey anymore
You’re not the bruises or the shame
You’re the man who learned to stay
When everything said run away
You’re not Cheap Whiskey anymore
You’re not the voice that said you’re less
You’re the proof that grace can grow
From any kind of mess
Outro (Spoken, Soft)
I loved every song you let me help you write.
Every story you let me help you tell.
But this is the one you never could have written—
Because you were too close to see.
You’re not Cheap Whiskey anymore.
You’re something better.
And you always were.
