From the A Quick One liner notes by Chris Charleworth with additions by Brian Cady:
Recorded at IBC Studios, London Oct. 3, 1966.
"I always had trouble singing my r's, so I double-tracked my vocals. On one track I sang 'fwend' and on the other 'flend,' hoping they'd come together as 'friend.'"
The song was inspired by the Chuck Connors western Ride Beyond Vengence known in the U.K. as Night Of The Tiger. In this 1966 film Claude Akins' character Elwood Coates has an imaginary friend called "Whiskey Man."
Whiskey Man's my friend, he's with me nearly all the time
He always joins me when I drink, and we get on just fine
Nobody has ever seen him, I'm the only one
Seemingly I must be mad, Insanity is fun
If that's the way it's done
Doctors say he just a figment of my twisted mind
If they can't see my Whiskey Man they must be going blind
Two men dressed in white collected me two days ago
They said there's only room for one and Whiskey Man can't go
Whiskey Man will waste away if he's left on his own
I can't even ring him 'cause he isn't on the phone
Hasn't got a home
Life is very gloomy in my little padded cell
It's a shame there wasn't room for Whiskey Man as well
Whiskey Man's my friend, he's with me nearly all the time
He always joins me when I drink, and we get on just fine
Just fine
This song appears on:
Source Length notes A Quick One 2:57 Happy Jack 2:57 A Quick One - CD Reissue 2:58