Songfacts®:

• "Hum's Liquor" references the place in Minneapolis where the late Bob Stinson of The Replacements would buy his booze. Lucinda Williams' husband/co-producer Tom Overby used to live in Minneapolis, and he'd look out from his apartment window every morning and see Stinson walking into the liquor store as soon as they opened. Overby wrote this song as a tribute to Stinson, who died of a drug overdose in 1995.
• The song features Bob's bandmate and surviving brother, Tommy Stinson, on backing vocals.
• Williams recorded "Hum's Liquor" for Stories From a Rock N Roll Heart. Williams laid down the album at Nashville's renowned Room and Board studio, which holds special significance for the singer. Part of her classic Car Wheels on a Gravel Road record was created there.
• During the album's making, Williams faced several challenges. A tornado damaged her home, then she suffered a stroke in late 2020, which impaired her ability to walk and play the guitar – the very instrument she used to compose her music.
  
  Working closely with Tom Overby, she poured her heart and soul into the project. Moreover, she sought the support of longtime friend Jesse Malin and road manager Travis Stephens, both of whom played crucial roles in constructing the 10 tracks that make up the album.
  
  "It was a different kind of process this time, because I didn't write all the songs completely by myself," Williams told Uncut magazine. "I started working with Jessie Malin first, who I'd helped with some songs on his last but one album, and there's quite a bit of co-writing with Tom, my husband and manager. There's probably a little more rock on this one. Where the songs can find me is basically about being open and ready, because a lot of times as a songwriter you feel like you're just a vehicle for a song."