Songfacts®:

• In this country anthem, Tim McGraw lays bare the complicated relationship between a man and his whiskey. He captures the pain, regrets, and the hard lessons learned along the way.
• Right from the opening verse, McGraw introduces the mean-spirited "whiskey" with a shot of bitterness. He dives deep, reflecting on how this spirited companion has stood by him during life's triumphs, trials, and heartaches.
  
  I gave you every penny in my pocket
  You helped me lie and made me tell the truth
  Stayed out with you all night when you came calling
  Hey whiskey, what'd I ever do to you?
• As the song unfolds, McGraw's tone takes a turn. He feels let down, as if betrayed by the very drink he once held dear. It's a tough pill to swallow - after countless nights spent with glass in hand, he's left feeling abandoned and discarded.
  
  I let you stay, you made her leave
  You made me say things I don't mean
  To the only girl that ever made me choose
  I gave you everything I had
  Went to hell and can't get back
  The only thing I couldn't stand to lose
  Hey whiskey
  Hey whiskey, what'd I ever do to you?
• The slow ballad, crafted by Brad Warren, Brett Warren, Brad Hutsell, and Joel Hutsell, serves as a reflective letter from the past. With its gentle tempo, it unravels the story of McGraw's earlier days filled with drinking. It's a salient revelation given that the country star has been on a sober path since 2008.
• McGraw co-produced "Hey Whiskey" with his longtime collaborator Byron Gallimore. The country star acknowledges that his production partner gets where he's coming from. "I'm lucky to have him in my corner. I can't imagine making records without him," McGraw noted to The Tennessean. "He does all of the things well that I'm unable to do. He's technical, a great engineer and a solid right-hand man who keeps me from running myself into creative ditches, so to speak."