How Chris Stapleton Helped Luke Bryan Score His Most Powerful Hit — Lyrics Uncovered

Luke Bryan's "Drink a Beer" lyrics gave the superstar one of the most important hits of his career in 2015, but interestingly enough, the song wasn't written with him in mind at all.

Who Wrote Luke Bryan's "Drink a Beer"?

"That was a song I wrote with Jim Beavers, and I have to give credit where credit is due," co-writer Chris Stapleton told Taste of Country in 2015, just before the breakout success of his Traveller album turned him into one of the biggest stars in country music.

"Jim came in with that entire chorus, and it really just became my idea to make it morbid and maybe have somebody die in it," he added with a laugh.

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The "Drink a Beer" lyrics combined a fond remembrance of times gone by with sorrow over someone who's passed away too soon:

"Sometimes the greater plan / Is kinda hard to understand / Right now it don't make sense / I can't make it all make sense / So I'm gonna sit right here / On the edge of this pier / Watch the sunset disappear / And drink a beer."

Did Chris Stapleton Ever Record "Drink a Beer"?

Though Stapleton had just released his debut solo album, Traveller, at the time, he never considered cutting "Drink a Beer" himself.

"No, not really," he told us. "I don't know that we ever had any notions that it would be a single, or something that would have the life that it has had."

That is, until Bryan heard the song and decided to record it for himself.

Why Was "Drink a Beer" So Personal to Luke Bryan?

Though the subject matter is much heavier than Bryan's usual fare, he recorded it in memory of his brother, Chris — who died in a car accident in 1996 at the age of 26 — and sister, Kelly, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 39.

Bryan's performance strikes a perfect balance between sorrow and bittersweet memories, imbuing the recording with an emotional impact that turned it into a career single.

How Did Luke Bryan's "Drink a Beer" Do in the Charts?

"Drink a Beer" scored Bryan a No. 1 hit, and it helped the normally bubbly singer introduce a more serious side of his artistry.

"You just don't know what's gonna happen to songs," Stapleton reflected.

"It was this fictitious thing when we wrote it, and then when Luke recorded it, it really brought weight, with his own life circumstances, that really gave that song a life."